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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26649583">Show Me Your Teeth (i'll show you mine)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightFalling/pseuds/KnightFalling'>KnightFalling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood Drinking, F/M, Loss of Virginity, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of past child abuse, No Pregnancy, Rey is kind of a jerk at first!, Slow Burn, Soft Ben Solo, Vampires, but she gets better!, there will now be smut!, this is really just fluff and nonsense and zero plot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:55:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,794</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26649583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightFalling/pseuds/KnightFalling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey hates vampires. </p>
<p>Ben is a vampire. </p>
<p>Ergo, Rey hates Ben. </p>
<p>(This is going to go exactly the way you think.) </p>
<p>---</p>
<p>  <i>“Don’t move,” Rey commands. She lifts a shaking hand and traces the curve of his nose with her index finger, leaving just a fraction of space between their skin. He’s still just staring at her, his eyes wide, and she swallows thickly. “Don’t move at all. Okay, Ben? Don’t scare me.” </i></p>
<p>  <i>She steels herself and presses the pad of her thumb against his mouth.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ijustfellintothissendhelp</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It has been just about 10,000 years since I've shared anything I've written and I have no idea what I'm doing!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s a vampire sitting across from her. A real, actual vampire. </p>
<p>It’s fine, <em> technically. </em> Because #vampirerights or whatever other hashtag happens to be trending this week and because <em> technically </em> vampires are accepted members of society now and <em> technically </em> vampires mostly drink bagged blood these days and <em> technically </em> there’s been some government shuffling to legalize blood-drinking across the Republic.</p>
<p>Technically, Rey doesn’t care. She <em> hates </em> vampires. Right now, she hates Poe a little for bringing Ben to their weekly lunch. </p>
<p>No one else seems to care. Finn and Rose had greeted Poe’s childhood friend with smiles and handshakes as if he isn’t an actual, literal monster who actually, <em> literally </em> drinks human blood to survive. That’s, like, cannibalism or something. </p>
<p>Rey had decidedly not greeted Ben. He’d held out his hand and she’d frowned at it intensely until he’d slowly dropped it again. </p>
<p>“So, Ben, Rey here is going to Coruscant U, too.” Poe, bless him, is trying <em> so </em> hard. He really is. He sounds strained but that’s possibly because he is sitting directly between Ben and Rey, the latter of whom is attempting to send killing vibes to the former. </p>
<p>Ben clears his throat and adjusts the dark sunglasses obscuring half his face. It’s not even that sunny out. Freak. “Maybe I’ll see you around, then.” </p>
<p>“It’s a big campus,” Rey answers flatly and stabs the remnants of her sandwich with Finn’s fork. </p>
<p>Awkward silence descends on the table. Part of Rey feels bad for ruining their lunch and just - just for generally being a jerk right now - but Poe <em> knows </em> how she feels about vampires. He knows. And he brought Ben anyway, without even bothering to warn her. </p>
<p>Under the table, Rey rubs the heel of her palm into the overlapping scars that form a raised pattern across her left forearm. Her skin suddenly feels too tight and prickly and she can’t do it. She can’t sit here, across from a leech, for one more minute. </p>
<p>She isn’t a total monster though, so she makes a show of looking at her phone before gathering up her purse and jumping to her feet. “Sorry, work needs me. Tallie called out. I’ll see you guys later?” </p>
<p>They all know she’s lying. Poe sighs. Finn gives her a pained, sympathetic smile. Rose pins her with a disapproving look. Even Ben knows she’s lying; she can tell because he seems to sink further into himself, hiding behind his glasses and his hood. </p>
<p>Rey hates lying but she needs to leave. Right now. Immediately. With a hurried promise to Venmo Poe the cost of her lunch, she all but sprints from the cafe and down the street. </p>
<p>She barely makes it a block before she has to stop and lean back against the nearest building. She ignores the crowd bustling by her, ignores how gross the textured concrete is against her hair, and just focuses on breathing steadily. </p>
<p>They might have manipulated and convinced the rest of the world but Rey knows what vampires really are. She won’t be fooled. </p>
<p>Once she stops shaking, Rey calls for an Uber to take her back to the tiny apartment she shares with Finn. Normally, she’d just walk the two miles back home but the thought of accidentally running into another bloodsucker when she already feels so raw makes her nauseous. </p>
<p>She’s going to go home, take a hot bath, and veg out in front of the TV for a few hours before her real shift at Maz’s starts. </p>
<p>Hopefully, she’ll never have to see Ben ever again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Poe brings Ben to every. Single. Outing. </p>
<p>Rey would like to say that she is principled enough, stubborn enough, <em> confident </em> enough to lay down an ultimatum: him or her. Rey or Ben. No overlap, no compromise. </p>
<p>But she isn’t. She is, in fact, terrified of her friends leaving her and being all alone again because they like Ben more than they like her. Poe and Rose have already made no secret of the fact that they think her distaste for ‘people who just have different dietary requirements’ is ridiculous and prejudiced and awful. </p>
<p>So, she spends the next three weeks pretending he doesn’t exist when he hangs out with them. She ignores him, he eventually gives up on trying to engage her, and they coexist like binary stars; ever orbiting the same circle but never intersecting.</p>
<p>And that’s how Rey finds herself standing in the lobby of a movie theater, alone with Ben Solo. They’d all stopped to pee before the movie but <em> apparently </em> the two of them are world record pee-ers while the other three are dribblers. </p>
<p>Ben slouches against the wall across from her and Rey thinks he’s trying to look smaller than he is. Because he isn’t - he isn’t <em> small </em>, he’s a fucking giant and all the hunching over in the world isn’t going to hide his height or how broad his shoulders are. </p>
<p>It’s the first time Rey has seen him without his hood up and his sunglasses on. It makes her hate him a little more because he looks… <em> good </em>. He doesn’t look like a monster. He just looks like a handsome man with long, regal features and shaggy, black hair that is almost certainly nicer and better maintained than her own.</p>
<p>His eyes are dark and soft and mournful every time he peeks up at her. Which is something he does, like, a lot and she only notices it now because he’s not wearing his sunglasses. </p>
<p>“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says suddenly and Rey jumps, startled by the sudden break in their truce. He is crossing no man’s land after weeks of a peaceful stalemate. How dare he. </p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>“You always look like you’re afraid of me.” </p>
<p>“I am <em> not </em> afraid of you!” </p>
<p>Rey is absolutely, unequivocally afraid of him. If she’s being honest with herself, the better word would be <em> terrified </em>. More than once, she has nearly jumped out of her skin just because he went and shifted his weight or reached for a napkin. </p>
<p>It’s still rude of him to point it out. </p>
<p>She huffs and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, if only because it means she’ll stop clinging to the wall opposite him like a frightened spider. She doesn’t want to prove him right. </p>
<p>He looks at her like he doesn’t believe her at all - probably because she’s lying - and opens his mouth to say something else but their friends choose that moment to walk out of the bathroom. </p>
<p>Poe immediately slings his arm across Rey’s shoulders, grinning widely despite the suspicious look he darts between her and Ben. “Everyone getting along out here?”</p>
<p>His arm tightens around her until it feels less like a hug and more like he’s preventing her from running away. Rey rolls her eyes and refuses to look at Ben as they all head past the ticket taker and down the long, carpeted hall leading up to theater eleven. </p>
<p>As always, they sit her and Ben at opposite ends of the group. Everything will be fine as long as he stays on <em> his </em> side of no man’s land from here on out. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everything is <em> not </em> fine.</p>
<p>Watching dinosaurs eat people would typically make Rey’s night. She’d begged Rose, Poe, and Finn to come see this movie with her for <em> weeks </em>. </p>
<p>But now, they’re all standing around the lobby waiting for Rose to get out of the bathroom (again) and Poe has said something that makes Ben laugh. It’s a weird, deep, snorting, chortling noise and Rey thinks - she thinks it would be cute except - </p>
<p>She can see his teeth. Ben has always been careful to keep them covered, she assumes, because she’s never seen them before now. They’re kind of crooked, actually, and the overall effect is a little goofy and genuine and she likes it a lot but - </p>
<p>He has fangs. Of course he does, he’s a <em> vampire </em>. But now Rey can see them and she breaks out in a cold sweat and her throat closes and all she can picture are a dozen pairs of fangs glinting beneath an oily yellow light in a dim, smokey room, and a strand of drool stretching and stretching before those fangs sink into her arm...</p>
<p>Rey doesn’t realize she’s still staring at Ben until he abruptly stops laughing and covers his mouth with his hand. </p>
<p>Next to her, Poe groans and rolls his eyes. “<em> Seriously </em>, Rey?” </p>
<p>The frustration in his voice is what does it. Terror and self-loathing churn together violently in her stomach. Rey whirls on her heel and retches into the nearest garbage can, throwing up the entire giant popcorn she’d stuffed in her face only an hour and a half before. </p>
<p>Dully, she stares at the half-digested kernels. She hates wasting food. She’s distantly aware of Finn rubbing comforting circles into her back as she wipes her mouth on the back of her hand.</p>
<p>Poe looks torn between concern and irritation, his heavy brows drawn over his eyes and his hands propped on his hips. “What’s wrong, Rey? What is this?” </p>
<p>“What’s <em> wrong? </em> ” she repeats sharply and she finds herself staring at Ben again. “What’s <em> wrong </em> is that my foster father sold me as a blood bag to the highest bidder from the time I was eight years old until I finally escaped when I was sixteen! Is that what you wanted to know? Does that suddenly make it <em> okay </em> for me to be upset?” </p>
<p>Her voice has grown progressively louder until she’s practically shouting. Everyone in the lobby stares openly, including Rose, who freezes as she’s coming out of the bathroom.</p>
<p>“Rey…” Finn sighs in a way that tells her she’s done something dumb again. </p>
<p>Ben looks - well, he’s always pale but now he looks a little green and sallow on top of it. His lips tremble and his jaw moves back and forth. Rey can’t quite tell if the expression on his face is horror or rage or something altogether different. </p>
<p>She doesn’t plan to stick around and find out, either. She is exactly one thousand percent done with this conversation and with her friends. “Thanks for coming to see the movie with me,” she snaps before turning on her heel and stalking out of the movie theater. </p>
<p>Rey fully plans to sweep out dramatically and call herself an Uber but that doesn’t exactly work out because she forgot that vampires can move really, <em> really </em> fast. She pushes past the glass doors and out into the cool night, sucking in grateful gasps of polluted Coruscant air. She feels clammy and hot all at once and her mouth still tastes like vomit - </p>
<p>Ben is already outside. He stands at a safe distance from her, hands held in stiff, awkward fists at his side. “I didn’t -” He cuts himself off. “I meant what I said, Rey. I won’t hurt you. And if anyone else tries to, I’ll kill them.” </p>
<p>He leans forward as he speaks and his eyes are so dark, burning against his pale skin, that Rey finds herself rocking backwards instinctively. He’s serious. Deadly serious, if she’s any judge, and it’s a little - a <em> lot </em> - creepy but she actually believes him. </p>
<p>Her mouth feels dry and cottony and all she can do is gape at him for several seconds. “Okay…” she says slowly, mostly because she’s not sure what else there is to say. How does one respond to a proclamation like that? Is this some sort of weird vampire blood pact? “Okay,” she repeats more firmly. </p>
<p>Ben seems to realize he’s being uncomfortably intense because he raises a hand to scrub awkwardly through his hair and his eyes are suddenly just normal-dark instead of murder-dark. “Okay,” he parrots back and if this is what the conversation is bound to devolve into… “You don’t need to leave. I’ll go. You should stay with your friends.” </p>
<p>Somehow, Rey finds that she is now less concerned with his fangs and more concerned with the fact that she would very much like the ground to open up and swallow her. This is <em> painful </em>. He’s awkward, she’s awkward, and clearly neither of them are capable of interacting like normal, human(ish) people.</p>
<p>“I don’t <em> want </em> to stay,” Rey says, firmly mastering the urge to fidget. Instead, she squeezes the strap of her purse, folding the worn canvas again and again. “I’m just gonna go home but… Thanks, Ben.” </p>
<p>The words sound dragged out of her all unwilling but it’s the most she’s ever spoken to him since they met. </p>
<p>Ben looks like he’s in pain but he nods. He takes a shuffling step back before turning on his heel and melting into the darkness without another word. </p>
<p>“Creepy,” Rey grumbles under her breath before pulling out her phone and calling for an Uber. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Poe is persistent in a ‘her phone won’t stop ringing until she silences it and buries it under the couch cushion’ kind of way. Rey manages to ignore him for two whole days before he simply shows up at her apartment door with a giant dish of baked ziti. </p>
<p>Rey is weak for baked ziti. </p>
<p>She sits at the table in their dingy kitchenette and grumpily shoves a truly appalling quantity of ricotta into her face while Poe and Finn lean against the formica counter across from her and stare. </p>
<p>“I’ve known Ben since we were four,” Poe announces with zero preamble.</p>
<p>She is not impressed. She snorts to show him as much since her cheeks are still bulging with masticated pasta. </p>
<p>“He’s been through some shit in the last few years but he’s a good person, Rey. I wouldn’t have brought him around if he wasn’t.” Poe hesitates. “I really thought you guys would get along. He was excited to meet you.”</p>
<p>Rey can only scowl at him in disbelief because she <em> knows </em> Poe isn’t that stupid. </p>
<p>“I also might have mentioned that you’re single.”</p>
<p>Flecks of gooey meat sauce spray across the table as Rey chokes on her next mouthful of ziti. She tries to wheeze past the ground sausage lodged somewhere in her sinuses and glares at Poe and Finn - ostensibly her <em> best friends </em> - through watery eyes. “What the <em> fuck? </em> Why would you even - with a <em> vampire </em> --” </p>
<p>It’s Finn who interrupts her sputtering. Finn, who is always so kind and gentle with her. Finn, whose expression is currently hard and unbending. “You treat Ben like garbage every time we hang out,” he says. “Rose’s friend Kaydel stopped coming around because you were so rude to her.” </p>
<p>“But --”</p>
<p>“What happened to you was terrible, Rey. It was <em> awful </em>.” Finn ducks down a little to catch her eye when Rey tries to stare mutinously at her plate. “But it doesn’t excuse the way you treat other people.”</p>
<p>Rey wants to let herself get angry and insist that leeches aren't <em> people </em>. They’re monsters. She doesn’t have to feel bad over monsters. </p>
<p>But she does feel bad. A little. Because Finn is the best person she knows and he’s never led her astray. So if he says she’s being awful, maybe she’s being awful? </p>
<p>And Ben has been maybe, kind of, a lot less terrible than she’d expected. He’s never snapped at her, no matter how horrible she’s been. He’s stayed quiet for her comfort. He hasn’t pushed himself on her. He’d promised to protect her. And he has - those <em> lips </em> -- </p>
<p>“Besides,” Poe interrupts, sounding gleeful enough that she just knows he’s about to say something to ruin the moment, “don’t think I haven’t seen the way you look at Ben when you think no one’s looking.”</p>
<p>Her whole face flushes with heat and Rey responds in the only logical way she can. She flings her sauce-covered plastic fork directly at Poe’s hair. </p>
<p>He shrieks and ducks, raising a hand to protect his signature curls, while Finn dives for cover beside him.</p>
<p>And just like that, all is forgiven.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really appreciate all the comments and kudos I've gotten so far and I'm sorry for not responding but I'm super awkward!!!!!!! </p><p>I don't know how many chapters this fic will be but it shouldn't be too long :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rey feels weirdly anxious a week later when Finn mentions off hand that they’re all going to meet at Maz’s for dinner. It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>excitement</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see Ben, because that would be stupid, but over the course of the last few days, she’s become determined to prove to Poe and Finn that she can absolutely be polite to a bloodsucking monster. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The day of, she wears her prettiest sundress because it makes her feel more confident. She swipes a coat of mascara on her lashes and gloss on her lips and, as far as she’s concerned, it’s not at all weird because it's more like putting on a suit of armor than dressing up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she walks into Maz’s diner with Finn, her eyes scan over their traditional corner table. She counts Poe and Rose and Rose’s friend Jannah and --</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben isn’t there. She glances over at the bar and then at the narrow alcove that houses the customer restrooms but there’s no sign of his distinctive, dark head towering over everyone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey isn’t disappointed. She’s just - </span>
  <em>
    <span>frustrated</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s it. She’d wanted to get this meeting over with and now she’s stuck waiting until the infuriating, giant redwood of a leech deigns to grace them with his presence. It’s rude, really. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sits between Rose and Finn and scowls down at the short hem of her dress. She’d even shaved her legs this morning. And for what? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rose leans over, eyebrows vanished beneath her fringe. “Hot date later?” she asks, looking very much like she’s five seconds from reaching out to touch Rey’s mascara with wonder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Rey snaps, a little more emphatically than necessary. She wipes the gloss off her lips with a napkin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> the way her friends look at each other over her head. Poe clears his throat and offers in a frustratingly placating tone, “Ben said he had plans with his family tonight.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey shrugs. She doesn’t care what he does and she’s definitely not worried that the real reason he isn’t here is because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That she drove off another friend of a friend, the way she apparently did with Kaydel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’ll show up next time, for sure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben does not show up next time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or the time after that.  It’s always ‘Ben has a family thing’ or ‘Ben has to study’ or ‘Ben was out in the sun too long yesterday.’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, it’s a full month before Rey sees him again and it isn’t because he decides to finally show up to their regular friend nights. Rey is on campus, practically sprinting from her mechatronics lecture because she can just </span>
  <em>
    <span>taste</span>
  </em>
  <span> the muffin she’s about to stuff into her face from the cafe down the street, when she spots a dark mop of hair perched atop a towering set of shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if there were a surfeit of overly tall, overly broad men wandering the prestigious grounds of Coruscant U, the dark sunglasses on an overcast day kind of give him away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s lurking under the shade of a scraggly evergreen and the sparse needles cast strange shadows over his handsome, pale face. He taps idly at a phone that looks child-sized in his giant hand and he looks simultaneously otherworldly and so perfectly normal that Rey can’t help but stare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All her bravery from the month before withers up and she clutches at the strap of her messenger bag with both hands. It’s not like there’s just the two of them out here, Rey reasons with herself. There are plenty of other students crossing the quad and even a handful sitting on picnic tables nearby with textbooks scattered in front of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He won’t hurt her. And Rey </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> be civil. If he won’t show up to friend nights long enough for her to prove it, she’ll just have to go to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey sets her jaw and stalks towards Ben before she can come to her senses and change her mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t even make it halfway before his head snaps up and her reflection fills up his sunglasses. She can’t see his eyes but she can feel the weight of his gaze and her steps falter briefly before she forces herself forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben Solo isn’t intimidating. He’s just a nerd, probably. A giant nerd with super strength and super speed and fangs and a taste for human blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also looks as if he’s frantically trying to devise an escape route. Rey power walks the final few feet between them before he can get away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben,” she says by way of greeting, which already makes it better than ninety-nine percent of the non-greetings she has lobbed at him so far. Ben looks like he’s being hunted but he nods in response and stuffs his phone in his pocket to give her his full attention. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s very possible she didn’t plan this encounter out very well. Rey’s mouth opens, her breath caught to speak, before snapping shut again. She racks her brain for something to say and comes up with cobwebs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Worst. Plan. Ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should come get coffee with me,” she finally blurts out and she feels as alarmed by the offer as Ben looks. Actually, he looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>suspicious</span>
  </em>
  <span> - as if she is planning his murder via caffeine and delicious carbs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t drink coffee,” he says and </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he’s just as bad a liar as she is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s eyes narrow. She knows vampires can drink coffee. She has literally seen Ben drink coffee before. Black, of course, because he obviously feels compelled to become a walking stereotype for broody men.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shuffles his feet and pushes his glasses up his nose with one finger but he doesn’t seem inclined to say anything else or explain himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fine. “Okay, look,” Rey starts, crossing her arms and stuffing her fists under her armpits to hide the way they’re shaking. “Poe and Finn told me I’ve been kind of an asshole. So I want to be not that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben stares at her silently, expression inscrutable from behind his opaque glasses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frustrating, impossible monster. Ugh. “I want to be not that to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Rey continues through gritted teeth. “So I want to buy you coffee and - </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk</span>
  </em>
  <span> to you. And learn to be less --” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chews on the inside of her cheek until it stings and then suppresses the insane, terrifying idea that he’s going to smell blood on her breath or… Or something. She fights it all down and says, “I want to learn to be less </span>
  <em>
    <span>afraid</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Of you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The admission feels like it’s been physically dragged from her throat, scraping her insides raw. Rey hates being afraid but not as much as she hates being vulnerable - and she is currently both. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t know why she thought Ben would be pleased or even excited but when he doesn’t respond at all, she visibly deflates. Her shoulders hunch and she folds in on herself. Fuck him, anyway. She’d been right and vampires really are just the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span> -- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you weren’t afraid of me,” Ben says just as she’s preparing to spin on her heel and run to preserve the last of her dignity. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey gapes at him. Then she notices the little quirk at the corner of his lips and she kind of wants to punch him. “You know what? Nevermind.” She turns to go. “I’ll see you around, I guess --” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” Ben blurts suddenly, lurching forward a step as if to follow. Rey freezes. “Wait,” he repeats. “You’re right. We should get coffee.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She purses her lips and takes a minute to consider how easy it would be to go back to the way things were. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He was a jerk</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she could tell Finn and Poe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I tried to be nice and he laughed at me.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She wouldn’t have to eat her muffin with a vampire looming over her. It would be easy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the look on Ben’s face is hopeful, she thinks. There’s a tentative smile pulling at his plush mouth and she can sense the puppy dog eyes hiding behind his sunglasses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, she sighs and waves a hand. “Okay. Come on, there’s caffeine and a blueberry muffin with my name on it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Awkward. That’s the best word Rey can find for it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cafe is crowded and Ben looks supremely uncomfortable as another cluster of young women - obviously freshmen from CorU - press into line behind them. He has his sunglasses off and tucked into the neck of his t-shirt, which just means Rey can see exactly how flustered he is by the close quarters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stands a safe distance from him. It’s more than an arm’s length, which means they don’t quite look like they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but too close for strangers. It makes talking in the loud, bustling cafe difficult so they </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> talk the whole time and Rey quietly wants to die a little as the minutes pass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finally get to the counter. Rey orders her coveted muffin and the sugariest drink she can find on the menu while Ben gets an extremely plain scone and a boring black coffee. Before she can even rustle through her wallet, he swipes his card through the reader. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Rey protests and slaps at his arm before she can think better of it, only to immediately jolt away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh god, she touched him. Rey flusters, cheeks heating, and plows ahead. “I was supposed to be the one buying</span>
  <em>
    <span> you</span>
  </em>
  <span> coffee,” she protests loudly in the hopes that Ben will not notice her blunder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he definitely notices. He stares down at his arm with wide eyes for several stretching seconds before clearing his throat. “It’s to make up for the popcorn you lost last time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thinks he’s clever, doesn’t he? Rey grumbles at the reminder that she literally puked because of his face but doesn’t protest further. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With their caffeine and snacks successfully in hand, Rey leads them out of the cafe towards the back patio. Normally, she sits at one of the picnic benches near the far side of the brick square, where she can lean back and soak up the sun before she has to return to her lecture halls in the dark, dreary basement of the engineering building. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there is a whole section set aside for vampires, covered by an awning that keeps the area in cool, UV-free shade. Rey dithers, uncomfortably aware that there are about four other people already sitting in that section and some of them probably have fangs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d be surrounded. But it’s not like Ben can sit in the sun and he’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> he wouldn’t let other vampires hurt her, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Determinedly, she leads them under the shade and sits at an empty table with more force than she meant to. The whole thing screeches an inch across the bricks and the other people sitting nearby give her odd looks. Even Ben raises a brow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you always eat normal food?” Rey blurts out as he sits across from her. She’s unsure if she’s more desperate to distract </span>
  <em>
    <span>herself</span>
  </em>
  <span> from this situation or </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>from her blundering inability to act like a normal person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben freezes with his scone halfway in his mouth. She can see just the smallest hint of his fangs glinting where his lips are pulled back and she shivers. “Yes?” he answers, sounding like he’s bracing himself for an attack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just - you know -” Clearly, he does not know. “I thought you didn’t need to eat a lot. Because of the -” Rey waves her hands in the general vicinity of her neck and immediately regrets it. “Because of the thing. The blood thing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s going to die of self-inflicted embarrassment before she ever has to worry about vampires at this rate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben slowly puts his scone down and takes off his sunglasses again so he can look at her directly. “Rey,” he says in a voice that is low and deep enough that she can feel it in her chest and all the way down to her curling toes. “Most of what I eat is ‘normal’ food. I get bagged blood delivered once a week. That’s it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he says, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. And maybe it is. Ben goes back to eating his scone and his table manners are so impeccable that Rey feels like a heathen, covered in muffin crumbs and staring at him with an unattractively gaping mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She casts about for another question to ask that isn’t offensive. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>wants</span>
  </em>
  <span> to keep this conversation going, actually, which is weird but Rey isn’t going to question it right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you and Poe meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he won’t answer. Maybe she’s being rude </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> invasive now, because Rey Johnson is physically incapable of carrying a conversation. How does social interaction work, anyway? What are words? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His mom worked for my mom. They decided the best way to keep their idiot sons out of trouble was to throw them into a small room together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is such a painfully unremarkable answer that Rey finds herself huffing. She also does </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> spend an indulgent few seconds thinking of Ben Solo as a small boy, probably sullen and plagued by those giant, adorable ears. He’s supposed to be a terrifying creature of the night, after all. “Is your mother also a - you know?”   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can say </span>
  <em>
    <span>vampire</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s not a bad word.” Despite the correction, Ben’s voice is mild. “My mom is. My dad isn’t.” She opens her mouth but he cuts her off before she can even manage to ask. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> it’s possible. We’re not aliens, Rey.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a train of thought Rey categorically refuses to board. She doesn't need to know anything at all about vampire/human relationships for any reason ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While her brain performs the mental equivalent of a post-BSOD reboot, Rey goes quiet and looks at anything other than Ben; her sparkly coffee, the frayed cuticles around her nails, a splinter coming up off the weather-worn picnic table -- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do this,” Ben says, interrupting her very important woolgathering. “I know you’re uncomfortable. You don’t need to --” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me what I need,” she snaps. She ignores the way his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare just a little at her tone. “And if you don’t show up the next time we all hang out, I’ll just come hunt you down again. I’m sure Poe knows where you live.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben releases a slow breath through his nose and Rey can practically hear him counting backwards in his head. “Alright,” he finally says. “Fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ha! Rey grins at him, high enough on her victory to momentarily forget her misgivings, and Ben jolts as if she’s kicked him in the shin. Her smile fades into a frown. Jeeze. Is there something in her teeth? It’s not like </span>
  <em>
    <span>she’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one with fangs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve never smiled at me before,” Ben murmurs and that’s - oh. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><i>Oh.</i> 👀</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>please do not look for nuanced characterization and development here! i have no idea what i'm doing!! </p><p>I really really appreciate all the comments and kudos and I love all of you ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rey doesn’t have to work Friday night for once, which means that Poe immediately declares it to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>cosmic bowling night.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Her and Finn meet up with Rose at the alley at exactly nine, pay the ten dollar entrance fee, and get in line to rent shoes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn and Rose banter back and forth but Rey is too distracted to offer more than the occasional (but admittedly very witty, in her opinion) interjection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s been a week since her cafe run in with Ben. Finn is the only one she’s told about it and he’d looked at her funny and muttered something about </span>
  <em>
    <span>a date</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>poor Ben</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which is - frankly - ridiculous because it </span>
  <em>
    <span>had not</span>
  </em>
  <span> been a date. At all.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that Rey has been on many dates but still. She’d know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe is late, because of course he is, and Rey bounces anxiously on her toes with her eyes glued to the entryway. Ben had always arrived with Poe before and she’s certain she will notice his giant head squeezing through the doors the moment they arrive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he shows up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them have already claimed a lane and started fighting over stupid names to plug into the machine (Rey is SuNShInE, Finn is Tr00per, and Rose keeps trying to bat Finn’s hand away before he can type hers in, resulting in something like P0sieEEEEEwwr) by the time Ben suddenly appears next to Rey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She screeches and almost punches him in the throat. ‘Almost’ only because he has vampire reflexes and manages to duck at the last second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” she demands once her heart descends from being lodged somewhere near her tonsils. She scowls up at him and he looks properly contrite beneath the blacklight and flickering strobes. He even has his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans and his shoulders slumped; the perfect picture of apology. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jeeze, Ben. Who lit a fire under your ass?” Poe grouches as he saunters up half a minute later, two pairs of bowling shoes tucked under his elbow. His brows inch higher and higher towards his hairline as he glances back and forth between Ben and Rey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wicked smile curls his lips and Rey realizes that her and Ben are standing far closer together than should be acceptable. She jolts back a step and shoots Poe a furious look that accomplishes nothing save making him cackle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you two getting along,” he says innocently before wandering off to enter his name (DAYUMeron) into the console next. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It leaves her and Ben standing alone together back by the row of hard plastic benches. The bowling alley is dark except for the multicolored circles of light roving the walls and pale flecks in the grungy carpet lit up by the blacklight. Ben’s white t-shirt glows under his leather jacket but his face is cast in the sort of shadow that would have been terrifying just a month ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What name do you want?” Rey asks to distract them both from Poe’s bullshit. When Ben just looks confused, she points at the large monitor overhead and the names already listed on the scorecard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I usually just use ‘Ben’.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely not,” Rey says brightly, and skips forward to enter his name for him. She pauses over the keyboard and narrows her eyes in concentration before typing ‘S0L0ng!’ She looks up at the monitor to judge how it fits in amongst the garbage pile that is the rest of their names before giving a satisfied nod. “Perfect.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glances back over her shoulder at him, only to find him already staring back with a small smile and a soft look in his dark eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It does something funny to her insides. Her heart flutters and it feels kind of like fear but it’s tingly and </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, actually. She feels good when Ben looks at her like that. Weird. It’s weird. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe she needs to see his fangs again; remind herself why he’s dangerous and untrustworthy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unsettled, Rey flops back on the plastic bench and reaches for the pitcher of warm, watery beer they’d ordered from the bar. It might as well be bread water, honestly, but she needs something to do with her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And because the universe has never given Rey Johnson a break in her whole life, Ben decides to sit carefully next to her. The bench shakes and creaks under his weight because he is a behemoth of a man but all he does is lean down to swap out his combat boots for bowling shoes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could fit both her feet in one of his shoes, she thinks idly. It’s honestly just unnecessary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you decided to come,” Rey mumbles into the plastic edge of her cheap cup. The beer predictably tastes a little like piss but she chugs it anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Couldn’t have you hunting me down.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s about to respond with something pithy and witty but Poe interrupts by shouting, “REY! You’re up first!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>None of them are good at bowling. They are, in fact, embarrassingly awful. Normally, this is hilarious. Now, Rey sweats because she swears she can feel Ben’s eyes on her back as she flings the bowling ball so hard that it inevitably leaves a dent on the lane. She manages to take down two whole pins and she turns around with her arms raised in victory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn goes next and he misses every pin on his first throw but manages a spare on the second through sheer dumb luck since she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure he didn’t even look when he threw the ball.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then there’s Ben. He does some sort of fancy foot slide maneuver and the ball makes a perfect spinning hook towards the pins. He gets a strike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then a double. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then a turkey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, boooo!” Rey calls over Finn’s groans and Poe’s laughter. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Boooo!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben looks entirely too smug when he flops down into the seat beside Rey again. He even grins, just a little, and she can see the way his fangs catch in the blacklight. It raises the hair on her arms and a shudder goes down her spine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span>, her instincts whisper, but she doesn’t look away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She also doesn’t throw up so that’s a win.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is now a bad time to mention that my parents used to bring me bowling all the time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just jealous that you can’t fling a bowling ball overhand like me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, I’ve always wanted to get kicked out of a bowling alley for destruction of property. Excellent advice.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking about it, Rey snorts and punches his arm. “Bite me, Solo!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two things happen at once: Rey realizes what she said and her eyes widen in alarmed horror while Ben’s face immediately flushes such an intense red that she can see it even under the strange lighting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - I mean - wait -” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swallows and Rey watches the way his Adam's apple bobs. His teeth look a little too big behind his lips. “It’s okay,” he says, soft and gentle as if he’s talking to a spooked animal. “I know what you mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They silently watch Rose and Poe take their turns after that. Rey sits there and prays that someone will accidentally strike her down with a bowling ball because </span>
  <em>
    <span>who says that to a vampire?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Rey Johnson, apparently. She blames the fact that she’s never actually spoken to a vampire before. She’s not sure if she’s more embarrassed that she’s grown so comfortable around him or that she apparently has the social aptitude of a stinkbug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both, she decides as she pours herself another cup of lukewarm beer. Definitely both. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s afraid that she’s ruined the whole night with her blundering but it’s not so bad. Her and her friends fall easily into their normal routine and she flitters in and out of Ben’s orbit too quickly to say anything else ridiculous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughs. A lot. At her, at Poe, even once at Rose when she skids out halfway through throwing her ball and nearly slides onto the lane with it. It’s the most Rey’s ever heard Ben laugh and the thought makes her chest feel all warm and bubbly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe that’s the beer. Because Rey has worked her way through the entire, giant pitcher on her own and then Finn went to fetch another one and even watered down, it is - a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of beer.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Enough beer, anyway, to thoroughly ignore the way Poe and Finn keep stealing glances at her while looking increasingly smug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Enough beer that she finds herself resting her head against Ben’s firm shoulder between their turns. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Enough beer that she is absolutely, unequivocally wasted by the time they finish their fourth game and it’s just about time to head home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn - tipsy but </span>
  <em>
    <span>reasonably</span>
  </em>
  <span> tipsy instead of sloshed like Rey because he has always made better life choices - has one arm slung around Rose’s waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything is hilarious to drunk Rey. It's </span>
  <em>
    <span>so great.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Her friends are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> in love. Rey's head lolls against Ben's arm and she giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to head over to Rose's place for the night," Finn says. "Are you good to get home, Rey? Can you call an Uber?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey hums something that she is </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> sounds like an affirmative. Ben's voice rumbles under her ear and she thinks he probably doesn't believe her so she raises her hand in a bleary thumbs up. Nailed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next thing she knows, Ben is kneeling at her feet. She stares at him with saucer eyes. How did he get there? Can vampires teleport? He says something about her shoes and the next thing Rey knows, he has one huge hand curled gently around her ankle while the other plucks at the laces of her bowling shoes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s touching her. Ben is touching her and holding her and it’s not nearly as bad as she’d thought it would be. Her ankle looks so delicate under his thick fingers and the sight makes a muzzy sort of warmth trickle down her spine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey, who possesses a very loose filter between her brain and mouth even without beer steamrolling it, announces, “You have giant hands.” The words are crystal clear and succinct. Rey is not a slur-er. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To her endless fascination, Ben clears his throat and stares down at her lemon-patterned socks as if they’re the most interesting thing he’s ever had the grace to witness. “Maybe you’re just small,” he says and she thinks (</span>
  <em>
    <span>thinks</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because she can’t be sure because time is still skipping through her grasp like an old film reel) that he swipes his thumb over the jutting bone of her ankle with something dangerously close to reverence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s all a bit much for her to handle right now so Rey zones out and loses herself in counting the little freckles and moles on his face. She makes it up to three before she’s distracted by his lips. They look really… soft. He probably uses a lot of chapstick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben ducks his head suddenly, hiding his mouth from her. “I’m not going to bite you,” he mumbles and Rey’s brows pull together because that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> not what she’d been thinking at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t have a chance to correct him because in the next minute, she’s somehow on her feet and he has one hand hovering awkwardly over her shoulder to guide her out of the bowling alley. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can get myself home,” Rey tells him with a small frown because it is very important that everyone (but especially Ben) knows how self-sufficient she is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben just looks at her with one very rudely skeptical brow raised. He goes back to tapping at his phone without responding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey huffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two minutes later, a nondescript sedan pulls up to the curb and Ben ushers her into the back seat. She thinks that he’ll probably wave her off, content that she’s safely on her way and glad to be rid of her drunk ass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, he slides into the seat beside her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What follows is an Uber ride so surreal that Rey is partially convinced she dreamed the whole thing. She’s sitting in a confined space with a vampire and she feels - fine. Completely fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Actually, come to think of it, her heart rate is a little fast but Rey suspects that might have more to do with Ben’s thigh pressed up against hers than his fangs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t talk for the whole fifteen minute ride to her apartment, which is fine because it’s fifteen minutes less in which she can say anything that Sober Rey will regret. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the car stops, Ben helps her wobble her way out onto the sidewalk. He even guides her up the front stoop of her building, as if she might have suddenly forgotten how her own feet work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She makes it to the top step by herself and whirls defiantly, just to prove she can. Ben stands two steps below her, making them nearly eye level for once. She’s even a full inch taller than him like this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ha</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The yellow exterior light buzzes overhead, the victim of decades old wiring, and Rey uses it to map out Ben’s angular, oversized features. He looks so soft like this, cast half in shadow and looking a little startled by her sudden proximity but just as accommodating as ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t move,” she commands. She lifts a shaking hand and traces the curve of his nose with her index finger, leaving just a fraction of space between their skin. He’s still just </span>
  <em>
    <span>staring</span>
  </em>
  <span> at her, his eyes wide, and Rey swallows thickly. “Don’t move at all. Okay, Ben? Don’t scare me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He makes a wheezing sound, as if she’s just punched him. That isn’t especially encouraging. But instead of telling her to leave him alone or to stop touching him like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>weirdo</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he just nods and goes obligingly, completely still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey steels herself and presses the pad of her thumb against his lower lip. It’s warm and just as soft as she’d suspected. She pushes a little more firmly to feel the ridge of his teeth beneath. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve had more than enough liquid courage for this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Rey scolds herself. Isn’t this what beer was for? Feeling up her hot maybe-sort-of friend in the middle of the night on her front stoop? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She decides to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>go for it</span>
  </em>
  <span> and drags her thumb up to lift his upper lip, revealing his teeth. His canines are sharp and only slightly longer than a human’s but she knows very well that they’ll grow and lengthen when he’s - </span>
  <em>
    <span>hungry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Or thirsty. Or whatever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cold sweat prickles along her hairline. This was a bad idea. Memories snap at her through the pleasant buzz she has going but Ben just looks at her with his dark eyes and doesn’t move. He’s placid, a compliant giant beneath her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey is fully aware that this is probably the weirdest thing she has ever done. It must be just as bizarre for poor Ben, even though he isn’t complaining. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just to prove she can, Rey touches the sharp point of his tooth. A shudder rocks through him and her blood pressure spikes but nothing happens. He doesn’t bite her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chagrinned, she glances up to meet his eyes and finds that his pupils have blown out, turning them black. It leeches out into the whites and it’s Rey’s turn to shiver. Her skin feels tight but she doesn’t pull her hand away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s never looked more inhuman, with his scleras darkening and his fangs just starting to nudge past his gums. It’s a biological response to pressure and closeness, Rey thinks, but Ben still doesn’t move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A muscle tics in the hollow beneath his eye and he seems to be holding his breath but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>still doesn’t move</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking pity on him, Rey allows his upper lip to fall back into place and slides her hand around to cradle his jaw in her palm. “Maybe you’re not so scary,” she murmurs and tries to ignore the way her stomach flips when he presses into her touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he can respond, she turns and flees into her apartment. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>could this be...... growth?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have exhausted my chapter backlog so updates are now slower 🙃</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey wakes up with a throbbing headache and a near photographic memory of the night before - every embarrassing second of it. She spends her first thirty seconds of consciousness trying to bury her head beneath a pillow and wishing fervently that she was a blackout sort of drunk. </p><p>She’d rubbed up on Ben’s shoulder like a bloody cat. He had tied her <em> shoes </em> for her. </p><p><em> She’d touched his god damned teeth</em>. </p><p>That’s it. Rey is done for. She can never leave her apartment ever again. Write her a witty epitaph because she will physically, literally <em> die </em> if she ever sees Ben again. </p><p>It is rare that Rey indulges in wallowing. Between school and work, she tries to eke out every second she can to spend time with her friends or do chores or literally anything other than simply lay around in bed all morning. </p><p>But today is a special day she decides, before immediately pulling her ragged comforter up around her ears. </p><p>Around midmorning, she hears the front door open and close, followed by the obnoxious thumping of footsteps. That means Finn is home and Rey has two options: </p><p>One, she can go out and admit to her best friend that she accosted a vampire’s face because she is a feral dumpster of a human with no sense of personal boundaries. </p><p>Two, she can hide here in bed until it’s time for her shift at Maz’s and let Finn assume she’s still nursing a wicked hangover. </p><p>Considering the second option isn’t even a lie at this point, it’s a no brainer. Rey bundles herself up into a blanket burrito and stealthily slides into the bathroom just long enough to pee and gulp down several mouthfuls of water straight from the faucet before sprinting back to the safety of her bedroom. </p><p>She hides under the blankets for a whole three hours, systematically ignoring her grumbling stomach. It’s not the first time she’s been hungry and she’s sure it won’t be the last.</p><p>Gainful employment waits for no one, though, and Rey might be willing to crawl into her own grave in shame but she’s not willing to leave Maz high and dry without a waitress during the lunch rush. </p><p>It takes her a whole fifteen minutes to rush through a shower and dress herself. She practically sprints past the living room couch, where Finn currently lounges while wrapped up in a giant sweater and nursing a mug of tea, hoping against hope that if she moves fast enough, he won’t -- </p><p>“So it seems like Ben got you home safe last night.” </p><p><em> Motherfucker</em>. Rey freezes and then waves dramatically before bolting for the door. “Right, yes, and now I have to get to work. <em> Seeyoulaterbye! </em>” </p><p>It’s only a stall tactic, Rey knows that much, but she’ll take it and lie to herself that he will <em> definitely </em> forget by the time she gets home. </p><p>It’s a forty minute walk from their apartment to Maz’s but Rey still slams her way into the break room a full fifteen minutes early. She punches in and ties the signature green apron over her clothes and ignores the way Maz leans against the doorway and watches her with a raised brow. </p><p>“I got an early start this morning,” Rey lies cheerfully before getting to work. </p><p>She is aggressively polite as she takes orders. On a normal day, Rey makes sure to never look too closely at their patrons - she doesn’t want to know if any of them have fangs. Today, though, she finds herself peering curiously at the mouths of anyone who happens to look a little too pale. </p><p>Ben had said he eats normal food regularly. How many vampires has she served over the last two years she’s worked here and never even realized it? </p><p>It makes her skin crawl a little bit. Then she reminds herself that she’s being <em> better </em> and that Ben can’t be the only vampire she doesn’t hate on sight. Finn had mentioned Kaydel specifically and the more Rey thinks about it, the more she feels pretty shitty for the way she’d treated the woman when they’d met. </p><p>Come to think of it, Rey has probably met quite a few vampires since she’d escaped Plutt’s tender care five years ago and not one of them has attacked or otherwise harmed her. She probably passes by at least a dozen every day on the street and she’d never be able to pick them out of the crowd. </p><p>Rey pauses with her back to the dining room, a tray of drinks balanced on her hand and a frown pulling at her lips. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, realizing she’s been kind of a terrible person, no matter how justified she’d thought it was. It’s a thought for later, she decides, when she isn’t dealing with the hectic lunch rush. </p><p>When Rey turns back to the dining room, she nearly spills every drink on her tray. </p><p>It’s Ben. He’s sitting in her section at booth nine, across from an older man and woman. It looks like he hasn’t seen her yet but also kind of like he already wants to sink into the floor or turn into a bat or some other equally dramatic escape plan. </p><p>Fuck. Shit. <em> God dammit </em>. Rey is not ready to face him again, not so soon after her tooth-related blundering. She can’t just ignore him though, not if she wants to keep her job. </p><p>Rey detours to drop off her drinks and then trudges her way over to Ben’s table. Her smile is probably more of a horrible rictus stretching her cheeks but she stubbornly plasters it across her face anyway. </p><p>“Good afternoon!” she greets all three of them, aggressively not meeting Ben’s gaze. From the corner of her eye, she thinks she sees him startle and slam his knee into the bottom of the table. </p><p>Okay, so maybe he hadn’t expected to see her so soon, either. </p><p>“My name is Rey and I’ll be --” </p><p>“Hello, Rey,” Ben interrupts because he is rude and terrible. “I didn’t realize you worked for Maz.” </p><p>She has no choice but to look at him, now. She swallows and decides she’s simply going to pretend that her face isn’t the color of a tomato and hope that no one mentions it. Maybe the people he’s sitting with will actually be polite and possess some modicum of social graces, which would make a neat departure from her normal life. “Hey, Ben. Yeah, if I’m not on campus, this is probably where you’ll find me.” </p><p>It occurs to her that the older man and woman sitting across from him are both now staring as if Rey had just announced to the entire diner that she, in fact, enjoys dancing naked in the moonlight in the middle of winter.</p><p>Upon closer inspection, there is something <em> familiar </em> about them. Even sitting, the man is tall and broad, with a rakish sort of tilt to his lips. The woman has long, gray-streaked hair coiled into an elaborate braid but her eyes are dark and soft and a little hooded and -- </p><p>Oh, <em> god</em>. These are Ben’s parents. </p><p>“I didn’t even know you <em> knew </em> how to speak to women,” Ben’s father drawls and ignores the way his wife smacks his leg. “How come we didn’t know you had a lady friend, Ben?” </p><p>“It’s <em> wonderful </em> to meet you, Rey,” Ben’s mother interrupts loudly, leaning forward. She sounds friendly but Rey doesn’t quite trust the mischievous glint to her gaze. “Just ignore Han, here. I never did figure out how to housebreak him. My name is Leia.” </p><p>Rey casts a desperate glance in Ben’s direction but he just looks back at her, sullen and resigned. “These are my parents,” he says, uselessly. </p><p>She feels her smile crack a little around the edges. “It’s nice to meet you both,” she says, picking up the conversational slack. “I met Ben through Poe a few weeks ago.” </p><p>Leia positively beams and Rey cringes internally at the sight of her petite fangs, just a little longer than a normal human’s. “Did Ben tell you we’re having a BBQ at our house tomorrow? We already invited Poe but you should come, too.” </p><p>Vampire barbecue. Rey, bewildered, can only stare at the tiny menace that is Ben’s mother while her brain buzzes and tries to process that mental image. Do they use blood instead of sauce? She feels queasy suddenly.</p><p>“<em>Benjamin</em>,” Leia scolds when it becomes clear Rey hadn’t heard of this terrible idea before. “I told you to bring a nice girl, didn’t I? Why didn’t you --” </p><p>“<em>Mom </em> --” </p><p>“I’ll have a Coors,” Han interrupts the budding argument, abruptly slamming his hand down on the table between them. </p><p>Rey is so grateful to have the conversation turned back to business that she nods and frantically scribbles on her notepad. </p><p>Leia can apparently take a hint because she lets the argument go with nothing more than a dissatisfied pinch to her lips. All three of them order and Rey, with a tight smile, scurries off to hand it over to the kitchen before returning to her rounds. </p><p>For the next fifteen minutes, she swears she can feel eyes following her everywhere but she refuses to look back at their table to check. If she meets Leia’s eyes right now, Rey may very well expire on the spot. She spends two whole seconds fantasizing about asking Tallie to take over their table for her but - <em> no </em> . Tallie is gorgeous in an effortless kind of way Rey has never really mastered. She wears <em> mascara </em> to work. </p><p>No. Nope. Rey does not like that. </p><p>Besides, Han’s beer looks empty. Rey smoothly appears beside their table, her professional smile firmly in place. “Another Coors?” she asks brightly, already reaching for the empty brown bottle.</p><p>Han opens his mouth to answer but he can’t get so much as a word in edgewise before Leia is leaning around him, her gaze so penetrating that Rey feels much like one of those creepy pinned butterflies under a glass. </p><p>“Another Coors for him and one of those strawberry margaritas for me, please,” Leia says and her smile makes her eyes crinkle at the corners. “Lord knows I’ll need it after a whole lunch with these two. Is Ben always so unreasonable with you, too, dear?” </p><p>This feels like a trap. It’s a trap, isn’t it? Rey casts about for an answer, stammering unattractively as she goes. “Oh - well - no, he’s - fine? Great, I mean. Ben is - he’s always been…” She trails off, lost and uncomfortable before she meets Ben’s eyes. </p><p>His face is just as red as hers feels. </p><p>“He’s always been nice to me,” she finishes lamely and Leia’s smile stretches into something noticeably fox-like. Rey feels much like a hapless hen. </p><p>“Good to know <em> some </em> of the manners I taught him sank in,” Leia muses. “Apparently not enough to invite you over tomorrow, though.” </p><p>“<em>Jesus</em>, princess, give the poor kid a break --” </p><p>“<em>Mom </em> --” </p><p>Whatever face Rey is making right now is inevitably not flattering. Leia looks consolingly maternal but then her mouth opens and what comes out is some sort of nightmare compilation. “Don’t worry, dear. Ben and I will be the only vampires there.” </p><p>Ben has apparently not only talked about her to his parents but she can only imagine the conversation went something along the lines of: ‘<em>So Poe’s bigoted friend tried to molest my face last night. What a freak, right, ma?’ </em> </p><p>Rey casts Ben a sidelong glance because she can’t help herself and apparently she’s a glutton for punishment. His face is <em> alarmingly </em> red now. She finds that she doesn’t feel particularly sympathetic.</p><p>“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Rey mumbles because what else is she supposed to say? It will give Ben an easy out; he can say something moderately rude but effective like, ‘<em>Oh, yeah, I really only planned to invite my closest friends, so maybe next time. </em>’ </p><p>“You wouldn’t be intruding,” Ben says, so quickly that Rey finds herself nodding along before she realizes what he’d said. “I’d like it if you showed up tomorrow.” </p><p>“Yes, that’s -- Wait.” </p><p>Ben wants to spend time with her. He wants her to hang out with his family. Okay. No big deal. </p><p>“Oh,” she says in a voice that is so uncharacteristically frail that she barely recognizes herself. “I have to work tomorrow but I guess I can ask Maz if I can punch out early...” </p><p>Rey is distantly aware of Leia’s gleeful clapping but all she can see is Ben and the sweet, shy smile pulling at his lips. </p><p>Apparently, she’s going to a vampire barbecue. </p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>“So let me get this straight,” Finn says to the Rey-shaped blanket burrito sitting across the couch from him. “You had your fingers all up in Ben’s <em> mouth </em> last night --” </p><p>“I was <em> drunk </em> --” </p><p>“And then today you agreed to go to a family barbecue at his parents’ place? Who are you and where is Rey?” </p><p>Rey says nothing, just purses her lips up and pulls the blanket down over her eyes with a muffled screech of pure mortification. She extends one leg from beneath her protective fluffy shell and jabs at Finn’s thigh with her toes. </p><p>“Okay, okay,” he says, his tone much gentler. “I won’t tease you about it. I know how hard this is for you and I know you’re trying your best.” </p><p>She peeks just one eye out at him, like a reclusive turtle lured by the illusion of safety. </p><p>“... But also I still think you kind of want to fuck him a little.” </p><p>Her face burns so hot that she’s half-certain her blanket fortress is about to catch fire. Sweat trickles down the back of her neck. The air caught in the back of her throat feels superheated. </p><p>Ben. Fucking. Fucking Ben. Ben, with his big hands and his big <em> everything </em> and he’s probably proportional, right? That’s probably how that works. He’s so wide that sometimes Rey finds herself just staring cross-eyed at his shoulders or his back, mentally calculating his workout routine and all the ways he could lift her and hold her down. </p><p><em> Big fangs, too, </em> her hindbrind reminds her, wringing its hands and fretting. </p><p>“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Rey says in a very small voice instead of denying it. Finn would know if she lied. Rey has always been good at lying to herself but Finn just <em> knows</em>. </p><p>She expects more ribbing and it’s not like she wouldn’t deserve it, after all. But Finn just hums thoughtfully and frowns at her. “Why not?” </p><p>“Why - because I can barely touch him without freaking out!” </p><p>“So? You’ve come this far and I’m sure Ben understands. Have you asked him about it or did you do the Rey thing and immediately run away after rubbing your gritty little gremlin hands all over his face?” </p><p>“Rude.” </p><p>“But accurate.” </p><p>Considering that it is <em> exactly </em> what she’d done, Rey can’t even argue. She knows, due to long hours spent googling self-help articles, that she struggles with processing and communicating her emotions. Something, something, attachment style, blah, blah, childhood trauma. </p><p>Knowing something and fixing something are two very different things, though. Case in point being Ben and vampires in general. </p><p>“I’m going to have to actually talk to him tomorrow, aren’t I?” Rey asks begrudgingly and lets the blanket fall around her shoulders. </p><p>Finn nods back with exaggerated solemnity. “Afraid so, peanut.” </p><p>Ah, and now he’s broken out the diminutive. That’s how Rey knows she’s in trouble.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>good news: i finished this fic for NaNo<br/>bad news: i still have no idea what i'm doing and SPEED WRITING did not help any</p><p>PLEASE be aware of the rating change and updated tags!!!! things will get a lil spicy from here out</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Maz, as it turns out, is </span>
  <em>
    <span>far</span>
  </em>
  <span> too enthusiastic about granting Rey a half day. Suspiciously so. The old woman watches through eyes made enormous by coke bottle glasses as Rey punches out four hours early. No boss should smile that widely over lost labor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take care with that Solo boy,” Maz says, her knobby old fingers curling together beneath her chin. “He’s always been a sensitive child. Be gentle with him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Does </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> know Ben? It sure seems that way. “Gentle,” Rey repeats doubtfully. “I feel like I should be the one worried about that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maz doesn’t argue with her. She just looks at her with those giant eyes and smirks. It’s a knowing, affectionately condescending look Rey could have lived without when she’s just about to throw herself into an actual shark tank. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She also could have lived without the mental image of Ben with shark teeth but alas, it is now hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a muttered farewell, Rey sprints from the diner before her boss can dole out more unprompted cryptic advice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She makes it back to the apartment in time to shower and change. She spends an embarrassing fifteen minutes debating with herself before relenting and wearing her sundress, the same one she’d worn the first time she tried to confront Ben. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she tells herself, and it still doesn’t mean she’s trying to impress anyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except, says the much more well-adjusted voice in her head that sounds a lot like Finn, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> trying to impress Ben. She should be able to admit that much. She wants him to think that she is - </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And normal. And possibly desirable in a way that doesn’t involve blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To that end, she suffers through nearly jabbing herself in the eye with a mascara wand and even goes out of her way to apply color to her cheeks. She leaves her hair down so she can fluff it around her shoulders in loose, beachy waves. It has the added benefit of hiding her neck - but she doesn’t think about that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s right down to the wire but Rey bites her lip and twirls in front of the full length mirror that hangs from the back of Finn’s door. She looks good. Confident. All the things she doesn’t feel, which is a pretty neat trick in her estimation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a quick bus ride followed by an Uber out to the ‘estate’ Ben’s parents apparently own on the outskirts of Coruscant. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Estate</span>
  </em>
  <span> had been Leia’s word, tossed casually out while writing down the address for Rey before they’d left Maz’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her Uber driver looks just as uncomfortable as Rey feels when they pull up to an iron gate set into a massive stone wall. The nearby plaque proves that the GPS hasn’t led them astray - this is, indeed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Organa-Solo Estate</span>
  </em>
  <span>, capital letters obviously required.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey leans out of the rear window to buzz through the intercom. After a supremely awkward conversation with a man who sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>far</span>
  </em>
  <span> too excited about receiving ‘Master Ben’s date, at last!’, the gate smoothly slides aside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not paid enough for this,” the driver mutters and Rey can’t help but agree. She practically hangs out the window as they wind up the long, gravel drive and the house comes into view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘House’ is the wrong word, she decides while she gapes at the massive construction set atop a rolling, flawless lawn. It’s a goddamn manor, sprawling and Georgian, with an excessive number of windows. How many rooms does one family need? Ben had better have an entire football team’s worth of siblings, otherwise Rey is going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>riot</span>
  </em>
  <span> at the capitalist injustice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t even get one foot on the driveway before Ben appears at her side, blocking out the sun as he leans on the car door to peer down at her through his dark glasses. She startles and nearly falls out of the vehicle while her heart leaps into her throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God </span>
  <em>
    <span>dammit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Ben!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he mumbles and then, with all the tentative hesitation of a man </span>
  <em>
    <span>pspsps</span>
  </em>
  <span>-ing at a mountain lion, he holds out a hand to help her stand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey, in possession of four fully functional limbs all of her own, is capable of exiting a car without assistance. She knows this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, she finds herself curling her fingers around his anyway. Because she wants to. Because the moment their hands touch, there’s a little zing up her spine and her mouth goes dry. Ben laces their fingers together and it’s almost uncomfortable, the way hers have to stretch out to fit, but it’s also </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It does things to her. Things Rey can’t think too much about when she’s about to meet his parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulls her up effortlessly and Rey finds herself standing so close that her nose almost brushes his chest. He smells like an expensive cologne that’s nothing like the awful body spray she remembers from high school. It’s dark, spicy, almost sweet, and Rey likes it a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. When she looks up, she’s close enough to see the fan of his eyelashes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s openly staring. She catches the way his eyes dip down past the hem of her dress, trailing over her legs before darting back up to her sweetheart neckline. His nostrils flare and his fingers flex around hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It makes it easy to forget the fangs and the blood drinking and the (sort of) cannibalism. But when his eyes linger just a little too long around her collarbone, she finds herself sucking in a nervous breath that breaks the spell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As her hired ride turns and trundles back down the driveway, Rey clears her throat and tries to drop Ben’s hand. He clings for an extra second, his arm stretching out after hers like a thread pulled taut before she slips away and it falls back to his side. “I need to put a bell on you or something,” she huffs, trying to remember that she is annoyed with him for sneaking up on her </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t even try to hit me this time,” he says and there’s a little quirk at the corner of his mouth that says he’s teasing her. “Come on, my mother will come looking for us if we take too long.” He looks adorably aggrieved by the idea and that level of parental embarrassment is something Rey observes with vague envy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a relief that he doesn’t lead her through that intimidatingly blue-blooded manor. Rey feels poor just </span>
  <em>
    <span>looking</span>
  </em>
  <span> at it; she doesn’t want to imagine tracking grass on the carpet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They skirt around the right side of the building, across a lawn that is pristinely detailed down to the last blade. A cobblestone path lined by geometrically perfect hedgerows guides them towards what Rey supposes the Organa-Solo’s modestly refer to as a ‘backyard’. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It looks like a golf course to her, a vast green hill that rolls down at a gentle slope before colliding with a copse of dark trees. She can only assume that on the far side, the entire property is ringed by the same stone wall she’d seen at the gate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a giant canopy set up near the house, exactly as Rey would expect for a party hosting one or more vampires. What she hadn’t been expecting was the number of people milling around or the long fold-out tables stacked high with enough food to feed them all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is not a backyard barbeque with a few family and friends. This is a bloody high society event - pun intended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Ben.” Rey comes to an abrupt halt and he takes a full step past her before realizing she’s no longer at his side. “I didn’t realize it was going to be so… Crowded?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at her with a grimace that she relates to on a soul-deep level. “It’s my parents’ anniversary.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck, Ben.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” It’s not even a question. It is a statement. Full stop. What the fuck. “I didn’t even bring a gift. What --” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He holds up a hand before she can really work herself into a fit of outrage. “Trust me, you don’t need a gift. My mom would have paid </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> to show up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey’s not sure how to respond and before she can figure it out, the woman in question spots them. Leia Organa-Solo strides out from beneath the canopy’s protective shadows, a set of oversized sunglasses perched on her nose and a half-empty glass of wine clutched in one delicate hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop trying to keep Rey to yourself,” Leia scolds Ben, coming up on Rey’s other side and looping their arms together. Rey finds herself too stunned and, though she is a full six inches taller than the tiny tyrant, too cowed to protest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben doesn’t look too thrilled either, his jaw moving in that stubborn way Rey has come to recognize. He mutters something to his mother that sounds like, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Try</span>
  </em>
  <span> not to scare her off,” but Rey can’t quite hear him over a burst of raucous laughter coming from the party. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In no time, a very dazed Rey finds herself led through the crowd straight to where Han is stationed in front of a frankly terrifying, commercial-sized grill. Han, grizzled and gray-haired, sports a bright yellow apron with the words ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>BITE THE COOK!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ written in blood-red font as he wields a pair of tongs with practiced efficiency. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, kid,” he greets, though it isn’t entirely clear if he’s talking to her or to Ben. He waves his sauce-covered tongs in the general direction of them both. “Here, take a burger. Or three. I might have made too many.” A paper plate groaning under the weight of an enormous burger is shoved into her hands. “Princess, leave the kids alone. Come help me with the food. Maker knows you have plenty of opinions on my grilling that I’m sure you’re willing to share.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia immediately launches into an indignant rant and Han shoos Rey and Ben off with a wink. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that’s how Rey finds herself tucked away in a corner, seated at one of the many plastic tables set up in the shade while Ben practically crushes the poor, defenseless folding chair across from her under his bulk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It creaks every time he shifts his weight, something he seems to do a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s just the two of them surrounded by a sea of strange faces. Poe is supposed to be here somewhere but Rey would put money on him being late so for now, it’s just… Her and Ben. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey swallows a too big mouthful of delicious beef and cheese. Clears her throat. “Your mother is scarier than you,” she announces, trying not to stare at his teeth or the way his Adam’s apple moves every time he takes a bite of his own food. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She has that effect on people.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you actually know any of the people here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... No.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey is starting to realize that Ben, for all that he can come across as an unreadable and aloof dark lord of vampires, is actually something of a mess. The fact that he would rather sit in a corner at a party with a woman who had (on multiple occasions) rudely referred to him as a ‘leech’ instead of interacting with strangers is… </span>
  <em>
    <span>telling</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes the opportunity to really </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> at him. Ben, tall and built like a refrigerator, sits hunched in a chair that looks meant for children compared to him. His long legs fold beneath him, knees turned slightly inwards to fit in the small space. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks like he’s always trying to make himself smaller. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Rey starts, pushing her empty plate aside. “We could always sneak away. No one’s paying attention to us right now and you’ve got an entire </span>
  <em>
    <span>estate</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m sure there’s somewhere here to hide.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s eyes widen and he looks at her as if she’s just vomited up a gold bullion or two. Like she’s something miraculous and impossible and terrifying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raises a brow. “I’m kind of an expert on running away from parental figures, you know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though he still doesn’t answer, Rey stands. This time, she’s the one to tentatively hold out her hand to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They escape the party hand in hand. On their way out, Rey spots Han following their progress with a smug grin and a jaunty wave that has her cheeks heating up in a blush for reasons she refuses to speculate on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To her chagrin, Ben leads them up behind the house and through a backdoor. It leads into a comparatively average mudroom - if average mudrooms had marble floors and a chandelier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t stop to let her kick off her shoes and Rey sweats, fretting about grass stains and cleaning bills as he leads her into a hallway carpeted in pristine white. She feels like she’s going to dirty something just by looking at it too long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span> to look at. Their home isn’t some austere magazine model. Paintings, statues, and framed airplane schematics line the walls. Plants beneath grow lights bloom from every corner and shelf. It’s clean but obviously well loved and Rey is struck by how normal it all is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only concession to it being an aristocratic vampire household is dark curtains covering every window, blocking all but the tiniest slivers of sunlight that slant across the hallway. Ben politely flicks on the overhead lights as they pass, for the benefit of Rey’s poor human eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She should probably ask where he’s leading her. The Rey of two months ago would have immediately assumed the answer to be some sort of vampire blood/torture dungeon. Current Rey </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> briefly entertains the thought (and she thinks that maybe a part of her, growing smaller every day, will always see the world in various shades of fear) but then she tries to reconcile the image of Ben as one of the monsters in Unkar Plutt’s basement with the image of Ben crouched in front of her tying her shoes and her brain returns a big ol’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot compute</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, he opens a door that leans into a dark room. The sound of their footsteps echoes strangely and she realizes why after he flicks on a few dim lights: it’s a movie theater. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The damn house has a </span>
  <em>
    <span>movie theater</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have too much money,” she deadpans. “No one needs a personal cinema.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically, it’s my parents’ money.” He does not seem appropriately repentant for his capitalistic advantage. He ushers her down a few short steps to the row of recliners situated in front of the projector screen. “And you’re benefiting from it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey sits in one of the oversized chairs and finally kicks off her shoes so she can curl her legs up on the seat like a pint-sized gargoyle. “What if I want to watch </span>
  <em>
    <span>Twilight?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben huffs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Interview With a Vampire?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey. Please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dracula?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groans and the sound makes her toes curl into the buttery leather seat beneath her. It’s the sort of sound she wouldn’t be opposed to hearing again. In a different context. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None of those were even written by vampires,” he grouches, fiddling with a remote to turn on the projector. He lowers himself into the recliner next to hers and, for once, he doesn’t dwarf all the furniture in the room. “Everything is wrong. We’re not cold or undead--” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you are super strong.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And fast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>How long have you been seventeen, Ben?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>hisses</span>
  </em>
  <span> at her, one side of his lip curling up to reveal a dormant fang. It is, her frantic late night googling sessions have informed her, an entirely normal vampire social behavior. It’s like any other person laughing or rolling their eyes or frowning. He’s probably not even aware of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And despite all her progress, Rey freezes as her brain seizes up like water in an engine cylinder. It’s not even Ben she’s afraid of. It’s a conditioned physical response, like Pavlov’s vampire panic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He realizes his mistake immediately and jumps to his feet to put space between them. “Oh, shit.” He hesitates, hovering around her but apparently afraid to get too close and make things worse. He looks stricken. “I’m sorry, Rey. Shit. Fuck. I can go.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That snaps her out of it. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she commands, voice raspy but determined. She is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> afraid of him. “No. Stay. It’s just a stupid - </span>
  <em>
    <span>brain</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing. You just startled me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben looks skeptical and still poised to bolt from the room at her behest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you won’t hurt me, Ben. Now sit down and watch a damn movie with me.” Internally, Rey flails at her own inability to be vulnerable ever. What would Finn say? It’s a perfect segue for her to talk to Ben about all her problems and this living, breathing </span>
  <em>
    <span>thing</span>
  </em>
  <span> between them and here she is, squandering it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Ben does not seem appeased. He watches her with a wrinkle between his brows and his mouth works back and forth in </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> way. “Rey,” he says, approaching like she’s a wounded animal before crouching in front of her. Huddled up as she is, as tall as </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> is, they are nearly face to face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we doing?” Ben asks, in a voice so soft and gentle that Rey feels her eyes welling up for no earthly reason. She squeezes her knees tighter to her chest. He’s so gentle with her, even though she hasn’t deserved it. “Tell me you feel it, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sounds like he’s begging. His hands rest flat on his thighs and she lets her eyes slide down to see how his fingers flex against the thick muscle there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s laid it all out for her. It should be easy; she only needs to say one word. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she can say. If she’s feeling ambitious, she could go with, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I feel it. I felt it even when I thought you were a monster</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey tries. She sucks in a breath and parts her lips but the words stick in her throat. She groans and buries her face in her knees. “I’m so bad at this,” she moans, feeling pathetic and small. Then, with her face still hidden, she reaches out and swats at his face. Her fingers brush over his lips and then curl around his chin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She peeks up from her hiding spot and her eyes meet his; dark, his pupils dilated and his gaze intent. Ben’s breathing a little heavier now, his shoulders moving with every breath. He’s completely still, frozen and waiting for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey tightens her grip on his chin, leans forward, and touches her lips to his. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>TEETH!</span>
  </em>
  <span> part of her brain shrieks but it is overshadowed by the other part, currently basking in awe over how soft his lips are. As soft as they look, really, and so </span>
  <em>
    <span>warm</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His breath skates over her cheek and his prominent nose bumps into hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s barely even a kiss. Rey clings to his chin and ever so softly brushes her gently parted mouth back and forth across his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, Ben doesn’t respond and her heart just </span>
  <em>
    <span>plummets</span>
  </em>
  <span> into her stomach. Oh, god. What if she misread the situation? What if he meant ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ as in a totally platonic vampire-human friendship kind of thing? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Ben </span>
  <em>
    <span>moves</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She barely has time to panic before one of his hands comes up to cup the back of her neck while the other curls around her ankle. He’s on her, his head tilting and his mouth opening against hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heat spools in her chest, spiraling down to the cradle of her hips. She shivers and makes this awful little squeaking noise in the back of her throat that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>thoroughly</span>
  </em>
  <span> embarrassing but she can’t help herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben growls in response, a low vibration in his chest that tells her he really doesn’t mind the sounds she’s making at all. His hands clutch at her tighter, pulling her halfway from her seat, and his tongue traces along her lower lip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it slides into her mouth and oh, oh - </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teeth. For </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> teeth, this time. His fangs must have dropped at some point because she feels the ridge of them hardening the softness of his lips and then the tiniest prick on her tongue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She breaks the kiss with a gasp, her heart racing, but she doesn’t go far. Not that she could, really, with his hand all tangled up in her hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how to be careful with those things?” Rey finds herself half-joking, breaking the hanging anticipation between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben huffs out something that could be a growl or a laugh and his face breaks into a smile that leaves dimpled creases around his mouth. It shows off his fangs, fully descended and sharp, but for once, Rey doesn’t shy away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel it, too,” she whispers, finally. “I do. But Ben, I don’t know if I’m… Okay? This is a lot. For me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His wide smile softens into something almost heartbreaking. His grip on her neck eases and slides down until his palm rests just below her collarbones, where she knows he can feel the rapid pace of her heart beating out of her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he says and it sounds like he really, really does. “Rey, I don’t expect you to be perfect. You’re trying.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s so much different than the Rey she was a few months ago. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>feels</span>
  </em>
  <span> different. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I spent so long being afraid,” she says, closing her eyes because it seems like an impossible task to open up </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> look him in the eyes. “And I’m tired of it. I wish I could just switch it off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben releases her ankle and takes her left forearm into his hold, instead. His thumb traces over the faint overlapping scars, left revealed by the short sleeves of her sundress. He doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t have to - she should have known his vampire eyes wouldn’t miss any part of her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she can think too hard about any of it, Rey lunges forward to catch his lips again. The fangs are still there but she ignores it, wrestling her fear until it becomes just a sharper edge to the pleasure of his mouth on hers. The anticipation of pain </span>
  <em>
    <span>without</span>
  </em>
  <span> pain - she whimpers and slips out of the recliner and into his lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d spent so long imagining how wide and broad his chest would be under her hands but the reality is something she couldn’t have prepared for. She feels small again but in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> way. A safe way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben makes a ferocious sound and hitches her legs around his hips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The new position settles her against a prominent bulge in his jeans and her eyes widen. That’s… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The seam of his fly presses up into her core in a way that makes her spine arch. The hem of her sundress flutters around her thighs as she rocks </span>
  <em>
    <span>just a little</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just to get pressure where she needs it. Both of them gasp and whimper, the sounds caught between lips and teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, it’s Ben who pulls away with a choked noise. “Wait -” He cuts off when she shifts atop him again. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Rey.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands fall to her hips, forcing her to keep still. Rey pants and draws away far enough to look at him. “What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nearly startles right out of his lap. His eyes are </span>
  <em>
    <span>black</span>
  </em>
  <span>, from pupil to sclera. His fangs look painful - nearly as painful as the erection trapped in his jeans must be. She can still feel it, pressing up against her where she sits. She swears she can feel him throbbing through the denim and the thin material of her panties. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sex and biting are connected, for us,” Ben grinds out through his teeth. “I don’t know if I can… It’s instinct. I can’t--” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s like a bucket of ice water over her head. Ben wants to bite her. He wants to fuck her and bite her and she can accept a lot but she doesn’t know if she can handle </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It isn’t enough to make her scramble free of his lap but she’s pretty sure she’s staring at him with eyes wide as saucers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I… get up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hands tighten on her legs and a feral growl rumbles through his chest before cutting off abruptly. “That might be best.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t let her go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Ben.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, they untangle themselves. Rey catches herself sneaking glances at him from beneath her lashes and she feels a lot like a teenager with her first crush. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I have a lot of googling to do,” she jokes and she’s pleased to see the black receding from his eyes as he cracks a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey can’t judge him. She still feels shaky and tingly as she crawls back up into her chosen recliner. Her underwear are kind of - </span>
  <em>
    <span>sticky</span>
  </em>
  <span> between her legs and she’d really like to clean up but the last thing she wants to do is draw attention to it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the time she’s known him, Rey has grown to expect awkward silences. Neither of them are socially adept, she’s finding, and it only seems to compound itself when they’re together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This silence is different. It hums and crackles between them like a livewire. A spark. She wants to touch him again, even knowing what it means. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, she sits on her hands and watches the fascinating process of Ben coming back to himself. His eyes go back to warm brown and he heaves himself up into the recliner next to hers. There’s a question rattling around in her brain but it takes her a full two minutes to work up the courage to blurt out, “Is it like a sadomasochism thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben wheezes like he’s just been elbowed in the solar plexus and his head whips around to face her. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The - the biting thing. Because, you know, it hurts. A lot. And I’m not sure how that would work if we’re…” She gestures between their laps and immediately regrets it because she feels like a twelve year old who can’t talk about sex. “I just don’t understand how that would work.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She expects that Ben to shyly admit to some species-wide kink. She does not expect him to look suddenly </span>
  <em>
    <span>nuclear</span>
  </em>
  <span> with anger, his eyes hot and his whole body strung tight. “It doesn’t hurt,” he says slowly, the words controlled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, she’s indignant. “Don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>lie</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me. I know damn well--” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurt,” Ben corrects himself, cutting her off. The armrests groan under the force of his grip on them. He must notice the skeptical look on her face. “I’m not lying. There’s a chemical in our saliva. If I - if </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> - take our time, it won’t hurt.” And here, finally, is the shy blush. “It should feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s why it’s a part of sex.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That sounds wrong. It has to be wrong. She has eight years worth of proof and scars. Teeth piercing through flesh can’t be anything other than </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s why vampires switched over to bagged blood - because humans were sick of their shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling mutinous, Rey glares at his knuckles. “It hurt. It always hurt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How dare he be understanding and gentle right now? She wants to be annoyed with him so she can argue </span>
  <em>
    <span>properly</span>
  </em>
  <span> but his soft voice makes it difficult to pretend he’s lying. And he just seems so - </span>
  <em>
    <span>angry</span>
  </em>
  <span> about the injustice done to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice is small when she says, “Can we watch something, now?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben doesn’t push. He just reaches for his phone and pulls up Netflix. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I told myself I wasn't going to waste time editing these last few chapters. </p><p>and then I spent a week editing this one. </p><p>I really appreciate all the kudos and comments I've gotten so far!!! ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They watch <em> Unsolved Mysteries </em> because, apparently, both of them enjoy pain and suffering. Ben produces popcorn from nowhere and Rey immediately shoves a handful in her mouth before flicking a kernel at his head. </p><p>He levels her with an unimpressed look and shakes crumbs from his hair. The next time she looks back at the screen, he dumps an entire shovel-sized handful on top of her head. </p><p>They make it through two episodes, though the last one is lost in a cacophony of her squealing and dodging around the recliners as he tries to shove an unpopped kernel down the back of her sundress. </p><p>That’s how Leia finds them. </p><p>“Well,” the older woman drawls from the doorway. The two of them freeze like misbehaving children; Rey halfway over a recliner and Ben with his fist hooked around the back of her neckline “I’m glad you two are having fun. We missed you outside but I really should have guessed Ben would try to secret you away. Courting vampires don’t like to share.” </p><p>“No one calls it <em> courting </em> anymore,” Ben says, groaning, and abruptly releases Rey’s dress. She teeters before fumbling backwards and he catches her with a hand on her waist. He leans in close enough to her ear to whisper, “ <em> Sorry. </em>” </p><p>Leia looks around the room at the show still flickering against the screen, the popcorn flung across every nook and cranny, Rey still flushed and barefoot. A perfectly manicured brow goes up and Rey has the sudden, horrifying notion that Leia knows every second of what has transpired in this room. </p><p>She has never been glad to be an orphan before but now she’s starting to think meddling parents might be more trouble than they’re worth. </p><p>“<em> Courting, </em>” Leia repeats imperiously. “Feel free to stay as long as you’d like, dear. Ben can drive you home when you’re ready. Let me know if you want wine.” </p><p>Then she sweeps back out of the room.</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>Rey ends up staying for another five episodes worth of <em> Unsolved Mysteries</em>. She only hears about a third of what the narrator says; the rest of her time is spent bent close to Ben, murmuring back and forth to each other. </p><p>He tells her about the years he spent estranged from his family, in the service of an <em> Old Blood </em> , anti-human coven. Rey is horrified until he relays his change of heart and how he’d personally dragged the leader - and what the fuck kind of name is <em> Snoke </em> - into a police station. </p><p>“So they were the same kind of people as the ones who used to buy me from Plutt,” Rey practically spits.</p><p>He nods grimly. </p><p>“And you took them down before you left?” </p><p>“They’re all rotting in prison.” </p><p>“<em> Good </em>.” </p><p>It’s a testament to how much she likes Ben that it’s hard for her to imagine him as that kind of person - the anti-human vampires that exist on the fringes of society and think of humans as cattle. </p><p>“I didn’t see my parents for years. That’s why my mother is - the way she is,” Ben explains in a stilted tone. It makes Rey think of the awkward family lunch at Maz’s and just how <em> excited </em> Leia is to be meddling in her son’s affairs. </p><p>“No worries about that on my end,” Rey says, picking at her cuticles and playing casual. “My parents abandoned me when I was three in front of a gas station.” </p><p>He takes her hands in his, gently prying her nails away from her tattered cuticles. “Anyone who doesn’t want you is an idiot.” </p><p>Warmth unfolds in her chest, a slow drip of golden honey. It feels like trying to contain the sun under her skin and she doesn’t know how to handle it. So, instead, she gives him a smug grin and whispers, “Ben Solo, are you <em> flirting </em> with me?” </p><p>Ben looks flummoxed for only a moment by the abrupt change in tone and then his brows go up. “Isn’t it obvious?” His cheeks, normally so pale, turn a very charming shade of pink. If she looks, she can spot the same color at the tips of his ears between his hair. “I’ve been trying to flirt with you for a long time.” </p><p>Rey squints. “No.” </p><p>“Yes.” </p><p>She thinks back. Until very recently, she would have put money on Ben being ambivalent and graciously tolerant of her bullshit. </p><p>The red in his cheeks grows deeper. “Apparently, I wasn’t very good at it.” </p><p>Rey chokes on a laugh and groans, letting her head flop back against the headrest. “We are a bit of a mess, aren’t we?” </p><p>And Ben, gentleman vampire that he is, lifts her hands and presses a kiss to her fingertips. There’s no trace of his fangs now and Rey can’t muster up more than a comfortable sort of pleasure at the gentle touch of his plush lips. </p><p>It must be night by now. The party is probably over and Ben’s parents are probably (hopefully) in bed. </p><p>Rey should go home. Good decisions don’t happen at night. They especially don’t happen when she’s alone with a hot vampire, his lips on her skin and his intense eyes on hers. This whole time she’s been sitting next to him, talking and collecting his secrets and history like a magpie, there’s been a little seed of thought germinating in her brain. It’s been there since the words, ‘<em> It should feel good. </em>’ Her thoughts turn it over and over again, snagged on it like a loose thread and unable to let it go. </p><p>She is going to make bad decisions. </p><p>She won’t even be able to blame them on alcohol. </p><p>“I want you to bite me,” she says, so abruptly that the words echo around the room like a gunshot. Shrapnel everywhere. Bang. </p><p>Ben doesn’t choke or sputter. His hold on her tightens and his brow furrows, something primal stirring in his darkening eyes. “Rey…” </p><p>“Like - <em> bite </em> me, bite me. Teeth and all. You said it doesn’t hurt, right?” He’s still just <em> staring </em> at her, so Rey lifts her chin defiantly. Nerves squirm in her gut but she isn’t about to back down. “I want to replace the bad memories with better ones.” </p><p>Is this the sort of half-baked idea that would have Finn sighing and shaking his head at her? Yes. Absolutely. </p><p>But it’s her decision. And she’s going to do it anyway, even if it’s dumb and probably going to end in a panic attack. </p><p>Ben finally finds his voice. “You don’t have to do this,” he says around teeth that are suddenly too big for his mouth. “Even if we never - it’s okay.” </p><p>“Of course I don’t <em> have </em> to. That’s the point.” Rey huffs a little, somewhat annoyed that he isn’t immediately taking her up on it. “Unless - unless <em> you </em> don’t want to. I mean, I guess maybe my blood is gross. I wouldn’t know --” </p><p>It’s one of those fast vampire movements, the way he’s suddenly on his knees in front of her again. Rey blinks, startled by the abrupt change in position when she hadn’t even seen him move. “I want to. Trust me.” </p><p>She doesn’t have to trust him. The way his eyes bleed black again is proof enough. It makes her shake and doubt creeps in - <em> bad idea, this is a </em> <b> <em>bad</em> </b> <em> idea </em> - but Rey has never been anything if not stubborn. She can handle this. She <em> will </em> handle this. </p><p>Ben’s nose skims along the few inches of thigh revealed by her sundress and Rey nearly jumps out of her seat. “Wh-what are you--” </p><p>He does it again, inching his way closer and shouldering his big body in until her legs have to spread around him. Closing his eyes, he nuzzles against the inside of her knee and breathes deeply. Smelling her. Her face feels hot and the hair at the nape of her neck is damp with sweat. </p><p>“You’ve always smelled so good,” Ben practically slurs between his descended fangs. “Even when you hated me.” </p><p>Rey feels frozen solid, a statue under his tender touch. He still has her hands cradled in his and his thumb runs soothing circles over her wrists. She smells good. To vampires. Or maybe just to one vampire - she isn’t sure she wants the answer to that. </p><p>“I’ve thought about how you might taste so many times,” Ben admits and, with his head between her legs, it takes on another meaning entirely. Blood and sex. Apparently, she’s thinking like a vampire already. </p><p>Ben frees one hand so he can gently push the hem of her sundress up. He follows the path with his nose, tracing along the inside of her thigh and sending tingles up and down her spine with every exhale. </p><p>“I’ll bite you here,” he says to the thin skin under his lips. Just over the artery in her leg. “Is that what you want, Rey?” </p><p>In fact, she feels absolutely dizzy with <em> want </em> . He’s so, <em> so </em> close to the part of her that’s throbbing and aching and wet and it’s all she can think about. But then - <em> teeth </em>. Does she want those fangs anywhere near her cunt? She doesn’t need a piercing, she really doesn’t -- </p><p>He opens his mouth against her thigh and Rey’s spiraling thoughts plummet right back down to earth, centered on the hot press of his tongue on her skin. “Holy shit,” she whispers, squeezing desperately at the hand still in her grip. Her other hand flutters aimlessly around his head, wanting to hold onto something solid but not wanting to pull his hair. </p><p>Ben makes up her mind for her. He grabs her hand and brings it to the back of his head, letting her tangle her fingers in the dark strands there. It gives her a sense of control, even as her heart tries to abandon ship through her throat.</p><p>He laves at her skin, kissing and sucking a hickey into the inside of her thigh. Rey squirms in her seat and her brain can’t decide what it wants to focus on. There’s too much stimuli; the way the hard, smooth edge of his fangs brushes her skin and spikes adrenaline in her veins contrasted with the soft press of his plush lips.  </p><p>Arousal and fear. Both so strong that Rey isn’t sure which will win. </p><p>“You’ll feel pressure at first,” Ben whispers. Her breath starts to come in quick pants. He looks up at her from beneath his lashes and she nearly has to close her eyes against the sight of his dark head between her legs. “And Rey? Don’t be embarrassed about any sounds you make.” </p><p>“Wha-?” </p><p>Her question dissolves into a helpless moan and her legs try to jerk shut around his body. <em> Pressure </em>. If she hadn’t been watching him, she wouldn’t have even realized he’d sunk his teeth into her leg, his fangs neatly piercing her flesh. </p><p>The first draw he takes feels like he’s sucking directly on her clit. </p><p>“Oh god,” she gasps, her hips bucking and twitching at the unfamiliar sensations. He chuckles and she throws her head back, hardly aware of the, “<em> Ah! Ah! Ah! </em>” escaping her parted lips. Ben is forced to cross his forearm over the tops of her thighs to hold her in place. </p><p>“That’s it,” Ben murmurs and his <em> voice </em> - he sounds as wrecked as she feels, deep and raspy. He presses a kiss against her that feels warm and sticky before his tongue flicks out to wash it away. “You’re doing so well, sweetheart.” </p><p>This is… This is nothing at all like her previous experience. It’s the difference between midnight and high noon.</p><p>This is Ben, gentle and kind as he licks hungrily at the slow trickle from the bite mark on her leg. </p><p>This is Rey, gasping and moaning and crying out as her cunt clasps around nothing. The soft suction of his mouth sends sharp pulses through her clit, like he has a personal hotline straight to it. </p><p>“Ben!” she cries out, alarmed. She’s going to <em> come </em> like this, completely untouched. This can’t be normal. There has to be something wrong with her and her body. “What--” </p><p>He’s not nearly as concerned as she is. If anything, he just growls and hunches closer around her thigh. Wet sucking noises fill the air along with her wanton cries and she blearily opens her eyes to look at him. </p><p>It’s not as messy as she’d expected. There’s a red smear across the corner of his lips but he seems loathe to waste any of her blood and all she can see is his open mouth and the slight pulse of his tongue against her. </p><p>And he is <em> very much </em> just as aroused as she is. From this angle, she can see the way a very formidable erection has the front of his jeans tented. </p><p>It’s too much for her. Even though he hasn’t even touched her cunt, even though she’s still fully dressed, Rey shouts and comes so hard that she’s fairly certain she knees him in the shoulder as her legs jerk and convulse. </p><p>It’s so good that it’s almost terrifying. It’s the kind of pleasure that makes her feel like she’s going to come out of her skin, drawing her spine tight as she curls forward over his head, body out of her control. </p><p>Hazy, soft bliss follows as she slumps back in her recliner. Ben holds her leg firm and she lets him, feeling boneless and dazed as he manipulates her limb to his liking. </p><p>He slows down and his suckling at the bite turns eventually into gentle licks to seal the wound. Her whole body throbs and there’s a very faint ache where he bit her but overall it feels...</p><p><em> Good</em>. Like he’d said. </p><p>Embarrassment follows abruptly, overtaking her bliss. Oh, god. She’d - she’d <em> orgasmed </em> in front of Ben. Because he’d bit her. He hadn’t even touched her. She’s never, ever come in front of another person and this is, like, their first <em> date </em> , practically, and she <em> just did that</em>. </p><p>Rey covers her face with her hands and resists the urge to scream into her palms.</p><p>Ben, apparently finished with her leg, <em> laughs</em>. Damn him. “Don’t be embarrassed, Rey,” he says - <em> cajoles </em> - and his big palms run soothingly up and down her legs. He still doesn’t extricate himself from between her thighs. “You must be sensitive. That’s not a bad thing.” </p><p>She’s certain that her cheeks are brilliant red so she doesn’t uncover her face. “Are those really the only two options? Either the bite is painful or it’s - it’s - <em> that? </em>” </p><p>He hums and his head rests against her knee. It feels nice, his soft, shiny hair sliding against her skin. “Not exactly. It depends on the relationship. If I bit a stranger or a friend, they would only feel relaxed. I’ve heard it described as ‘tingles’.” </p><p>“Like vampire ASMR,” Rey quips, still hiding her face. </p><p>Ben’s hands come up to curl around her wrists and pull her arms down so he can look at her. “Are you alright?” he asks, so gentle and concerned that Rey wants to twist out from under his gaze. He’s always intense but now it feels like he can see right through her. </p><p>Rey bites her lip and looks away long enough to take stock of her body and her emotions. Her body feels wonderful, actually, which is surprising since she is now missing several ounces of blood. </p><p>Her emotions are more of a mess. She’s embarrassed and a little giddy and warm from his attention. There’s the kind of shaky, trembly feeling that accompanies an adrenaline rush after a near-death experience but it’s quickly overtaken by a victorious rush. She’d done it! Overcome her fear! <em> Ha! </em> </p><p>“I’m okay,” Rey decides after a moment, reveling in her achievement. “I thought it would be worse.” </p><p>“Mmm,” Ben agrees with a wordless hum. If she’d been watching him more closely, she would have seen the mischievous quirk of his lips. “But then I made you come so hard you couldn’t think of anything else.” </p><p>Rey screeches and shoves both hands into his face, unsuccessfully attempting to push him away from her. He laughs and presses little kisses to her palms.</p><p>“What if I said I want to make you come like that again?” he murmurs into her fingertips. </p><p>“<em>Benjamin! </em>” </p><p>“I’d like to try with my mouth on you, next time, and not just a bite. Would you let me do that, Rey?” </p><p>Her entire body erupts in goosebumps. She hasn’t dated often - or at all, <em> really</em>, because it wasn’t like she had a lot of opportunity - and no one has ever spoken to her this way before. She’s equal parts embarrassed and aroused and she’s never felt so desirable in her life as she does now, with Ben’s eyes on her.</p><p>“No one has ever… Done that for me. Before.” Rey tries not to groan. Why does she have to sound like an actual middle schooler <em> all </em> the time? “Or anything, actually.” </p><p>Ben looks more surprised than she thinks he has any right to. His eyebrows go up and his red-stained lips part. </p><p>“I’m only twenty-one,” Rey snaps defensively, “It’s not that weird.” </p><p>“It’s not,” Ben agrees more readily than expected. “But now I want to show you <em> everything </em> and my parents’ house is not the place for it.” </p><p>Everything. She likes the sound of that. She decidedly does not like the thought of Leia walking in on them trying <em> everything </em> in their cinema room, however.  </p><p>“Do you--” </p><p>“If you--” </p><p>They speak over each other and Rey smothers a nervous laugh in her palm. “No, you go first,” she says, tapping the side of his chest with her knee. It’s going to take her another two minutes at <em> least </em> to build up the courage to try to ask her question again but -- </p><p>“Do you want to come home with me?” Ben asks, fully and completely serious even when Rey stares at him goggle-eyed. </p><p><em> She </em> was going to ask if he wanted to make plans for later. Maybe another date. To build up her nerves before the big event.</p><p>“Only if you want to,” Ben hastily adds, sensing her hesitation. His hand curls around her calf and gives a comforting squeeze. “And even if you do, we don’t have to do anything once we get there.” </p><p>Rey swallows and hopes he can’t hear the way her dry mouth clicks. He doesn’t try to pressure her; he just watches her with those soft, gentle eyes and waits for her to decide. </p><p>“Yes,” she says after an interminable time passes. “Yeah, I want to go with you.” </p><p>Ben presses one more kiss to the inside of her thigh before standing and offering her his hand </p><p>She takes it without any hesitation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>we're approaching the end here, folks.... just one more chapter of smut and an epilogue left now :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: VERY mild dubious consent (more like under negotiated kink) ahead. see end notes for details and keep yourselves safe and happy!! </p>
<p>This is it - enjoy a giant chapter of nothing but smut!!!  (this is where I mention that I've never written smut before ha ha)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And just look at this <a href="https://twitter.com/emchewchew/status/1338624982465835014">AMAZING MOODBOARD</a> that emchewchew made for this fic!!!! It's so good!!! ❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ben’s apartment is in the city and, as it turns out, only about a twenty minute subway ride from her place. That feels like something she should have known about before now but she supposes she’d never actually asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His building has private underground parking, which is a luxury that Rey doesn’t even want to consider the price tag on. He parks his fancy car in an assigned spot and gives her a shy smile before taking her hand and leading her to an elevator that requires Ben to swipe a keycard before entering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey isn’t sure what she expects - some sort of wild penthouse suite, with a jacuzzi on the balcony or something, maybe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It isn’t quite the penthouse, at least. The elevator spits them out near the top of the building, yes, but it opens up into a hallway with three separate doors. At least he doesn’t have an </span>
  <span>entire</span>
  <span> floor to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey still feels very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> poor by comparison. The floors are gleaming hardwood and the hanging light overhead glitters with a dozen crystal pendants. Damn. The hall outside of her apartment is covered in nicotine stains and crumbling brick facing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben nearly drops his keys when he goes to unlock his door and it’s </span>
  <span>charming</span>
  <span> to see that he’s just as nervous as she is. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I only moved in recently,” Ben warns as he ushers her inside. Rey braces herself but it’s… Fairly normal, actually. Very, very nice and very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> large for an apartment in the heart of Coruscant but it’s still less ostentatious than a whole ass private cinema room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hardwood floors, dark gray walls, and furniture that is clearly fresh off a showroom floor. “I can tell,” Rey says, eyebrows raised at the takes in the absolute lack of any and all personal touches. There’s not so much as a book left open on the coffee table. “Did you even unpack or did you just buy everything new?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben comes up behind her, close enough that she can feel the heat of his body through her thin sundress. His breath ruffles her hair. “I left behind everything after I turned in Snoke,” he says, his voice quiet as if he’s trying to avoid startling her. “And I’ve never been good at… Decorating.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey thinks of her room, a colorful chaos of knickknacks and dozens of plants stuffed into every corner. Between her and Finn, their apartment is cramped but obviously well-loved. Ben’s apartment looks like no one lives there at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben slides his hands over her hips and pauses like a man expecting to be slapped away. Rey tenses for just a second before making herself relax back into him. He’s so warm. “Do you want a drink?” he asks, nuzzling his nose against his temple. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey tingles from head to toe beneath his attention. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” she teases, humming and shivering in his hold as his fingers flex and slide over her hip bones. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His nose skims down, his plush lips brushing against her earlobe on their way down to her neck. Rey sucks in a sharp breath and her spine bends instinctively to get away before she catches herself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben stills against her but his grip on her tightens. She suspects that his instinct to hold her down - either as prey or lover - is always at war with his higher thought. It should frighten her but Ben has proven again and again that he’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> win against his instincts for her sake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it’s kind of hot that he wants her so badly. It would probably be </span>
  <span>hotter</span>
  <span> if there wasn’t still a prickle of nerves every time his mouth drew near. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to try therapy,” Rey blurts out suddenly and then curses herself for her nervous babbling. What sexy dirty talk she’s managed here tonight! “I mean - because it shouldn’t be your job to fix my issues. Even if you’re - well - </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> convincing. But I don’t think that ah, o-orgasms are a cure for trauma.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben still hasn’t moved or tried to interrupt her rambling. He also hasn’t stopped touching her, though, so she takes comfort in that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, he presses a kiss to the side of her neck and Rey can feel the way his lips are curled up into a smile. “I wouldn’t mind trying,” he offers and the tip of his tongue </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> touches her skin. Rey blushes furiously and he chuckles before going abruptly serious. “I think therapy is a great idea, sweetheart.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small, irrational part of Rey had been tense, a tight tangle of nerves that expected him to roll his eyes or imply that she’s weak for needing to seek a professional. She’s always been terrified of admitting that she needed help but now - now, she really wants to get better. For her sake. For her friends. And for Ben. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckles and his hands slide around the outside of her thighs, creeping downwards until he can toy with the hem of her dress. Her muscles jump as his knuckles brush against her. “Can we still try the orgasms tonight?” he whispers directly in her ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey wants to roll her eyes at such a stereotypically </span>
  <span>man</span>
  <span> response but she’s too busy trying to stop her knees from buckling as he bunches her dress up higher and higher. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Watch,” Ben commands and she obeys, almost hypnotized as he reveals her panties. He holds her dress bunched around her waist in one hand while his other one skims up and down the inside of her thigh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Each pass brings him closer and closer to the wet, aching center of her. Rey shuffles, instinctively spreading her feet a little wider to give him room to work and he rewards her with a pleased growl at her back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With no warning at all, Ben slides his hand up and cups her mound completely in his palm. Rey squeaks and jolts up onto her toes, caught off guard by the sudden feeling. She hadn’t really expected it to feel like much, at first. After all, she washes and touches herself all the time but there’s never that </span>
  <em>
    <span>zing</span>
  </em>
  <span> unless she presses right on her clit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s different, having someone else’s fingers on her. S</span>
  <span>he’s so aroused that her hips actually ache with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just from one touch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sensitive,” Ben murmurs, a confirmation of his earlier theory. Rey’s nose wrinkles. She’s never thought of herself as sensitive or even particularly sexual before. Now, her body feels like a livewire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hand shifts, sliding forward so that his middle finger can slip between the seam of her. He brushes against her clit and the whimpering sound that comes out of her mouth is embarrassing. She also never, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> would have put money on being vocal during sex but here she is, apparently lacking any and all self-control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even just watching his huge hand cupping her over her panties is almost more than she can take. Her eyes squeeze shut and she tries to tilt her head away but Ben is there, kissing her temple. “No, sweetheart. You have to watch.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She does. And the second she obeys, Ben slips his hand into her underwear. Her belly tightens up, twitching as his fingers slip down, circling so gently around her entrance to collect the wetness there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She squirms in his hold and Ben groans, grinding against her ass even as he presses frantic kisses along her neck. The sharp points of his teeth skim against her, so lightly that they don’t even sting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pinches her clit between his middle and index fingers, rolling the nub over and over while she gasps and pants. “Ben,” she whispers, rocking and shifting against him as she alternately tries to escape and push closer. “Ben, that’s -- mm.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It feels like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>. More than when she’s alone at night in her room with one hand guiltily shoved between her thighs as Finn sleeps one room over, at any rate. Rey hadn’t known her body was capable of this sort of feeling, of containing so much pleasure without bursting apart. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben doesn’t try to slip a finger inside her. Instead, he focuses on her clit with single minded determination, rubbing firm, consistent circles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to bite you,” Ben rasps, sounding labored. “I’m - Rey, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” His teeth drag more firmly against the round of her trapezius.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her brain has a whole lot of thoughts about that, many of them conflicting, but all Rey can manage is a frantic nod of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He bites her and the world goes white around the edges. </span>
  <span>She tries to clamp her legs around his hand but his fingers are unrelenting and the bite makes her feel like a supernova - superheated and explosive. Rey trembles and shakes and comes in his arms, too lost in the wave of pleasure to be ashamed of just how loud she’s being. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even as she starts to drift back down, Ben doesn’t relent. Rey whimpers and tries to wiggle away from his fingers on her clit but he growls and squeezes her tighter, holding her by the cunt with his teeth still latched to her neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben!” she gasps, already feeling heat and pleasure starting to coil back up between her hips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> has certainly never happened before. “Ben, wait --” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He does not wait. A keening whine rises up in her throat and she can’t contain it as her head thrashes back and forth against Ben’s chest. Her thighs shake and tremble with strain, up on her tiptoes as she struggles between grinding down and getting away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey breaks apart again with a sob and she’s still coming when Ben slips two fingers inside her. There’s a burning stretch but she can barely feel it, lost as she is while her hips spasm and her whole body hums. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She comes back down with him still buried knuckle-deep in her cunt. It feels </span>
  <span>weird</span>
  <span>, all fullness and stickiness. She feels impaled and pinned down and still tingly, oversensitive from not one but </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> orgasms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, Ben must have released her neck because he’s currently whispering soothing nonsense against her ear. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says and her brow wrinkles because what in the world could he possibly have to be sorry for? “You said to wait and I didn’t.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sounds so guilty. This man. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This man</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I really wanted you to stop, you would have had an elbow in your diaphragm,” she says with a breathless laugh. Her whole body melts against him, going limp and boneless despite the way he’s still stretching her out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Still,” he hums, “I should have listened. I’ll do better next time.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without warning, he spreads his fingers and Rey yelps, wiggling against the strange sensation. It burns but it's a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> burn. It feels like stretching out a sore muscle. She groans and presses her weight down into his hand, looking for just a little deeper, just a little </span>
  <span>more</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are the orgasms helping with your trauma?” Ben asks because he is, of course, a little shit who can’t help himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey barks out a laugh. “I don’t know, we might have to try a few more times.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It feels good to joke about it openly and know she’s on the same page as Ben. It makes her feel like they’re in this </span>
  <span>together</span>
  <span>. Like he acknowledges her quirks and her flaws and wants her anyway instead of trying to ignore the messy parts of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben slides his fingers from her and she gasps before immediately grimacing at the way her panties stick to her. She has never been so wet in her life and she hadn’t realized how </span>
  <span>uncomfortable</span>
  <span> it could be. She’d pay for a damn wet wipe right about now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d really like to fuck you,” Ben says, ever the gentleman. He doesn’t even really wait for an answer before he starts tugging at her dress again, restlessly trying to get it over her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey, resident member of the itty bitty titty committee, isn’t wearing a bra. She hesitates self-consciously, crossing her arms loosely over her chest to stop him from removing the garment completely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So pretty, sweetheart,” he coos in response instead of being upset. He pets at her exposed belly, swirling sticky fingers over her skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And just like that, Rey relents. She raises her arms and helps him remove her dress completely, and even she can see the way a blush immediately spreads from her neck and all the way down to the tips of her breasts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her nipples are tight and sore, reminding her that he hasn’t touched them at all. That seems like a travesty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost as much as the fact that she hasn’t had a chance to touch </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey spins in his arms and tugs at his black t-shirt. “Off,” she commands, feeling greedy for the sight of him now that she’s had her hands on those damn, distracting pecs. He’s huge. He has to be huge all over. It seems like a crime that she hasn’t seen or touched him yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a quirk of his lips, Ben grabs the back of his shirt collar and removes it in one swift motion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben isn’t cut like a dehydrated actor or bodybuilder. He’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>big</span>
  </em>
  <span>, all over, with strength built into every line of him. She can see his abs flex and move, not defined into a six pack but solid and thick under a healthy pad of fat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey swallows and glances at him before laying her hands flat on his chest. He sucks in a sharp breath and his muscles twitch under her touch; it’s heady, making such a strong man - a strong </span>
  <em>
    <span>vampire</span>
  </em>
  <span> - respond with nothing more than a brush of her hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though she’s the one mostly naked and so much smaller than him, she feels powerful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey takes her time exploring. She trails her fingers curiously through the sparse patch of hair directly between his pecs before sweeping her hands out in a broad arch. She doesn’t know if he’s as sensitive as she is, but she swipes her thumbs over his nipples just to see how he reacts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t disappoint. His whole body jolts and curls towards her with a grunt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she does it again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Rey</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he groans, reaching down to adjust himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty,” she parrots back to him, looking up at his face with a mischievous grin. He rolls his eyes like he doesn’t believe her but she means it and she leans in to press a kiss just over his heart to prove it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His pulse races beneath her lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She trails her hands down his chest and belly, prodding at the ridges of muscle. With a giggle, she pokes a finger into his belly button and it turns into a full laugh when his back arches away from the touch like an angry cat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gathering up her courage, she follows the line of hair leading down into his jeans and lets herself toy briefly with the waistband. “Is this okay?” she asks, fiddling with the button without actually opening it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More than okay,” Ben answers just a little too quickly. “Please.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey waffles, shifting her weight back and forth. “Okay, can we just - can you sit down?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She has never seen a man so quick to obey. He drags her with him to the couch and immediately plops his ass down. Rey only hesitates for another second before kneeling between his legs and setting to work on his fly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a quick tug and a helpful lift of his hips, she has his pants off, leaving him in just a black pair of boxer briefs that are stretched and struggling to contain his erection. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Rey thinks, her mouth dry and her eyes more than a little wide, </span>
  <em>
    <span>is a penis</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She can see the outline of him through the thin fabric and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she has never been this close to a dick before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Curiosity has her running a single fingertip down the length of him and she is enamored with the way his hips buck up to follow her touch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She peeks up at his face and - ah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>there’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> the vampire. His eyes are pitch black and his fangs are large enough to peek out over his bottom lip. Her heart skips a beat, all instinctive fear and animal hindbrain, but there’s also a confusing gush of wetness between her legs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whichever therapist she finds is going to have a field day with this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Determined, Rey goes back to her task. She spends another minute or so exploring him through his underwear, gently stroking and touching and poking at the thick shaft. There’s a wet spot near the head that grows every time Rey passes her thumb over it </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, she takes a deep breath and tugs his briefs down his thighs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His cock springs free and startles Rey as it bounces a little. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penises look weird. Just in general. It’s a fact of life. But she’d definitely assumed a vampire dick would have, like, teeth or something. She’s glad that he has none of that but he’s uncut and she has no earthly idea to do with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben chuckles and she bristles. She has overcome a crippling phobia and prejudice to get this far, she is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to be thwarted by his cock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With her tongue determinedly between her teeth, Rey wraps her hand around it. Her fingers don’t quite touch, which is alarming, but his skin is hot and velvety soft and she is fascinated by the way it moves. His foreskin slides back, revealing the swollen head, and her eyes go wide as she’s hit with a sudden wave of arousal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It still looks weird. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it’s weird in a good way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s especially good when he sucks in a breath through his teeth and his abs suddenly flex and tense. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gives him a squeeze and pumps up and down, gently because he feels simultaneously hard and solid and delicate in her palm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The head,” Ben chokes out, his fists curling into the couch cushion. “Just touch the --” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey pulls his foreskin down and dips to press a soft kiss to the head of his cock. There’s a bead of pearlescent fluid there but she’s too skittish to swipe her tongue over it. Her mouth waters and she’s tempted but it’s also kind of gross and she’s never tasted cum before but it probably isn’t great. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, she showers little butterfly kisses down the whole length of him before drawing back so she can watch what she’s doing. She swirls her thumb over his head, spreading the bead of precum around in tight circles that have his hips twitching and jerking beneath her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s easier than she expected to follow his cues. She squeezes tighter and pumps him faster, glad that his foreskin gives the movement a little bit of glide. She tries to imagine what that would feel like moving along inside her and she has to press her thigh together in both aching, impossible </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> and trepidation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Above her, Ben groans and gasps, his head thrown back against the couch. His thighs are rock hard and tense on either side of her body and his hips keep jerking with aborted movements; she can just imagine how much effort he’s putting into not fucking into her hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to inflate your ego any --”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Ben says with a strained moan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-- but your dick a lot bigger than I expected.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gives a strangled, choked laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> it will fit because, you know, babies can fit. But it’s definitely bigger than anything I’ve, uh, had up there before.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s hand suddenly covers hers, halting her movements. He’s breathing heavily, his chest flushed and mottled with red. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll stretch you out,” he says, all black eyes and huge teeth. His attention is solely on her and his focus feels almost predatory. She gets the feeling that if she were to run now, he’d be on her in a second. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a movement too fast for her to track, Ben has her scooped up into his arms. Rey nuzzles into his chest, enjoying his warm skin against hers even though they’re both a little sticky with sweat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The world blurs around her as he rushes them to his bedroom. </span>
  <span>Rey would have been just as happy with the couch but he’s a gentleman through and through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He practically flings her onto his bed. Rey laughs as she sails naked through the air, only to land with </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> full bounces. She’s breathless and giddy and she always thought sex was this super serious affair but Ben, even with his pitch black eyes and fangs and hard dick, has a goofy smile on his face as he watches her roll around his ultra soft sheets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben drops one knee to the mattress, making her slide towards him. He hooks his arms beneath her knees and yanks her the rest of the way forward, spreading her legs wide as he does. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nerves flutter in her chest but her cunt </span>
  <em>
    <span>also</span>
  </em>
  <span> flutters, clasping desperately around nothing as she stares up at the man situated between her obscenely spread thighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vampire or not, Rey can only see </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ben</span>
  </em>
  <span> when she looks at him now. This is a man that she wants to know; a man who is lonely and kind and gentle with her, despite everything. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She holds out her arms and Ben folds himself down to kiss her. His chest presses against her and she feels his cock, warm and velvety soft where it rests against her pubic bone and lower belly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’re both naked and he still holds her legs open wide around his hips but the kiss is soft and sweet. His mouth moves over hers and he tugs her lower lip gently between his fangs until she whimpers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His hips move restlessly and his cock slides down before slotting against her cunt. She gasps and her legs tense when the blunt head moves over her clit, sending an electric spark of pleasure through her core. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gotta open you up first,” he mutters, more to himself than to her. Then he starts to slide down her body, pressing toothy kisses to her collarbone, her breastbone, the bottom swell of her breast. It feels good; warm and tingly and soothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His lips latch around her nipple and Rey has to catch a screech by slapping a hand over her mouth. Her whole body arches up off the bed like a bow pulled taut but Ben doesn’t relent, laving his tongue over the tight point while she writhes beneath him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she tries to twist away, Ben snarls and releases her legs so he can grab her waist and shove her down with more force than expected and Rey - </span>
  <em>
    <span>moans</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Oh. That’s new. She didn’t think she’d enjoy him being a little rough but </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh</span>
  </em>
  <span> does it work for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” he says right against her nipple, his voice a low growl. His grip on her loosens just a little but he can’t seem to pry himself away. “Sorry. It’s hard to let you go.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey, her chest still heaving and her muscles twitching, rubs a soothing hand over the back of his neck. “Okay. How about this - if I </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> want you to stop, I’ll say… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Muffin</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He barks a laugh against her breast and the burst of air over her wet nipple makes her twitch. “Muffin? </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> your safe word?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up -- ah!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He drags his tongue flat over her nipple and then sucks it back into his mouth. His teeth prick at her skin and she whimpers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben moves further down her body, leaving her gasping for air as he trails soothing kisses over her ribs. When he reaches her belly button, he pokes it with his tongue and Rey squeals and kicks her feet against the bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His big body barely fits between her legs until he casually slings them over his shoulders. He bends down and then he is face to face with her cunt and Rey’s thoughts scatter, trying to remember how well she’d shaved this morning and if there might be stubble down there now and -- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She jumps when he spreads her folds open with two fingers but she has no more time for embarrassment when he leans in and pulls her clit between his lips. The gentle suction is </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Rey has to squeeze her eyes shut and just focus on breathing through it for the first few seconds. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s so much more intense than anything else she’s ever felt and she can’t stop the whimpers that escape her anymore than she can stop her hips from bucking and twisting. She doesn’t know if she wants to escape or lean into it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben makes the choice for her, shoving her legs down flat to either side and pinning her to the bed. He doesn’t stop to apologize this time. With her safe word in place, he seems to shrug off the guilt. He growls and grips her tight and forces her to accept the feelings he’s pushing on her unrelentingly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben!” she gasps and finds her hands curling tight in his hair without her permission. “Ben, Ben, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, oh --” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slides two fingers into her cunt, all the way to the knuckle, and she actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>sobs</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Tears leak from her tightly shut eyes and she bites her lip as her head stains back against the pillow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feeling builds, coiling in her pelvis and spreading heat down her limbs. Her body has never felt so out of her control before; she can’t help the way she pulls his hair and tries to grind down into his mouth and fingers. Her body just </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fucks her slowly with his fingers, curling them and spreading them inside her. It’s a strange pressure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then he adds a third finger. It’s a tight fit and it feels like she’s stretched to her limit but his dick is bigger than his fingers, right? He hums and his tongue flicks against her clit and all at once, her body relaxes and his fingers sink all the way in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His fangs graze her delicate folds, just the smallest pinch and Rey is - she’s going to - she’s -- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben stops and Rey is either going to cry or murder him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben!” she wails, tugging at his hair and trying to get him back where she wants him. He presses a soft kiss to her clit but doesn’t suck it back between his wonderful, magical lips and he gently eases his fingers out of her. With watery eyes, she levels an accusatory glare down between her legs. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to fuck you,” he says simply. “And I want you to come on my cock.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey nods furiously as he climbs back up her body. Every inch of her pulses and aches from her thwarted orgasm and if he doesn’t do something about </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she’s definitely going to murder him. Right here. In his bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben reaches for something on the bedside table and she hears a rustling and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, condoms, right. Those are a thing. She’s glad he’s apparently more responsible and level headed than she is because she was absolutely about to let him fuck her raw without so much as a second thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wishes she could see him unrolling the condom so she could learn how to do it but more than that she wants him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurry the fuck up</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She whines and curls her fingers around the sharp dip of muscle at his hips so she can tug impatiently at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Greedy little thing,” he says as he swipes a hand over her cunt to gather the wetness there. She glances between them to watch as he spreads it over the condom on his dick but then he presses closer and she can’t think of much else at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blunt head of him feels so much larger when he notches it against her opening. Part of her is nervous but that part is a quiet, distant whisper compared to the much larger part that really want to come, </span>
  <em>
    <span>right fucking now, thank you very much</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey wraps her legs around his hips and digs her heels into his ass to try and drag him closer but she always seems to forget just how strong vampires are. He doesn’t so much as budge, but he does smirk at her around his teeth and slide a hand between them. He presses down just under her collarbones, his long fingers spread around her throat like a necklace as he weighs her down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy, sweetheart. I don’t want to hurt you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She thrashes, whining and clawing desperately at his shoulders. “You’re not going to hurt me, Ben, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dammit</span>
  </em>
  <span> --” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a chuckle, he starts to push inside. It’s a lot. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His intrusion is slow and steady and it just keeps coming, long past what she thought she could fit. There’s a brief sting that she barely notices and then a sensation of fullness that she can’t help but bear down on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look at you,” Ben pants above her. She opens her eyes and finds him baring his teeth, his eyes burning, the picture of barely held restraint. “Perfect. Perfect girl.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She clings to him and tries to focus on anything at all. Her body knows what to do but her brain instinctively wants to hold onto her sense of control; Rey has never been good at letting go. Without warning, Ben draws out an inch and plunges back in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey squeaks and her toes curl and he slips in just a little deeper. It’s too much, it feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>too good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and she panics. “Stop - hold on--” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hesitates. His shoulders heave and a bead of sweat drips down his nose. “You remember your safe word?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“... Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A beat of silence passes and Rey opens her mouth but she can’t bring herself to make him stop. She doesn’t want him to. She just - she needs to pretend like she’s taking control. So he can prove he knows how to take care of her, even when she’s being difficult. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey bites her lip and hides her face against his forearm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben draws out and plunges back in, a single smooth motion that sends Rey’s thoughts scattering like stardust. She has no choice but to feel everything he’s giving her. Her thighs twitch and her whole body arches without her input as the orgasm he’d denied her builds back up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leans down and licks a long stripe up the side of her neck. “You can take more than you think,” he murmurs between panting breaths. His teeth prick at her skin but he doesn’t bite, not yet. Instead, his hips piston and he pounds into her in earnest, fucking her slow and steady. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She doesn’t know if she can come like this. She didn’t think she could, not without direct pressure on her clit, but she’s starting to think she might have been wrong because every time he thrusts in, she feels herself winding higher and higher. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Always want to make you feel good,” Ben growls. “Always. Again and again. If you’ll let me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey is beyond words so all she can do is nod frantically. That’s what she wants. The thought of doing this just once - </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She doesn’t know if she’ll ever get enough. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben groans and bites her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just like that, Rey comes. She’s incandescent with a pleasure so intense that she’s crying again, shaking and tensing uncontrollably. She’s pretty sure she’d be screaming but her throat closes up and all she can do is hiccup and whine beneath him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s teeth press in harder and it’s less like he’s drinking from her and more like he’s holding her in place, clutching her close in every way he can. She’s going to have bruises on her hips and thighs after this. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she comes back to herself, she realizes he’s still fucking her. He’s near frantic with it now, pumping hard and fast between her limp legs. She feels warm and fuzzy so she just hums and holds on for the ride. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A minute later, he groans and shivers above her, still slurping messily at her neck. His hips stutter and then slam into her one final time. She feels his cock twitch inside, </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and has a moment of regret for the condom that stops her from feeling all of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben collapses on top of her, essentially crushing the air from her lungs. “Heavy,” Rey wheezes, thumping his shoulder until he groans and rolls to the side. She hisses when his cock slides out of her, feeling empty and tingly in his wake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spend several moments just looking at each other while their breathing slows to a normal pace. Rey breaks first, bursting into a fit of nervous giggles as Ben reaches down to remove the condom. He ties it off and tosses it in the general direction of the garbage can beside his bed and Rey’s laughter only grows louder in the wake of the gross </span>
  <em>
    <span>splat</span>
  </em>
  <span> it makes upon landing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel like I should be insulted that you’re laughing,” Ben says, despite the goofy smile tugging at his own lips. He wraps his hands around her waist and drags her closer, skin to skin again despite how sticky they both are with sweat and… fluids. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I fucked a vampire,” she says, giddy. She slides her hands across his pecs just for the pleasure of touching his skin. “Is it always like that? Is that a vampire thing?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If so, she might never actually let Ben out of this bed again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckles and presses a kiss to the top of her head before tucking her beneath his chin. “I think it’s just an </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey considers that, feeling content and drowsy as she snuggles up against his warmth. “I think we should date,” she says abruptly, while she’s safe and he can’t see her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve been on three dates already.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Rey lifts her head to squint at him. “We have not!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben counts off on his fingers. “Coffee.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was not a date!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bowling.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? How could you even think --” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And today. Three.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He seems very serious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way,” Rey argues. She might not be an expert at dating - she might have never been on a date before at all - but this is a hill she will die on. “Those don’t count! It has to be just the two of us. It has to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>planned</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So today counted as a date?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey glares at him until she notices the mischievous crinkle at the corner of his eyes. “We have to go to dinner or something,” she says, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Just the two of us. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> at Maz’s.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben’s whole expression is warm when he looks at her. The black has receded from his eyes, leaving behind burnished amber and he’s just so damn </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He ducks down and steals a kiss, one so tender and sweet that Rey just melts into him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we can figure something out,” he whispers against her lips and Rey can’t help but smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She still has a lot of shit to unpack and she’s sure she’ll fuck up and say or do something awful again at some point. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But figuring things out with Ben - </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span> - sounds really, really good. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>cw details:<br/>Ben makes Rey come<br/>she gets overwhelmed and says 'wait'<br/>Ben does not wait and makes her come again<br/>They talk and establish that Rey didn't <i>actually</i> want him to stop. Rey eventually makes up a safe word for them and all is well :) </p>
<p>Nothing but a very short epilogue left for these two!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>just a short, sweet little epilogue to wrap things up for these two nerds :')</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Dr. Holdo wants me to try talking to other vampires.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the first thing Rey says when she lets herself into Ben’s apartment - using </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> key, gifted to her barely a week after their first </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual real date</span>
  </em>
  <span> - all while trying to juggle the giant house plant cradled in both arms and kick off her shoes at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben, who almost certainly did not deserve the dervish of chaos that just came whirling through his front door, looks up from the book he’d been reading and automatically extends an arm for her habitual, non-optional hug. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She carefully sets the plant down (some sort of palm tree?) and immediately moves to snuggle into his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah? She thinks you’re ready?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For all the time she spends with Ben and Leia and the bi-weekly appointments with her therapist, Rey still - </span>
  <em>
    <span>struggles</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s getting easier, especially when she has Ben with her, but sometimes she’ll see a flash of fang in public and her brain nosedives. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey had a hell of a time explaining to Dr. Holdo about why Ben’s teeth don’t bother her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Orgasm therapy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she’d blurted out, her face the color of distilled embarrassment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Positive association and exposure,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dr. Holdo had placidly corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever she wants to call it, Rey responds to the sight of Ben’s fangs and black eyes with on-demand arousal. It’s certainly convenient - except for the time she’d caught him trying to drink his damned bagged blood and she’d wanted to hump his leg like a horny dog. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Semantics. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm,” she replies into his armpit. “I think I want to try apologizing to Kaydel.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Along with teaching her healthier coping mechanisms for ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>when you can’t reasonably avoid a stressor</span>
  </em>
  <span>’, Dr. Holdo had been doing some sort of weird eye movement trick during their sessions; at first, Rey had nearly bolted from the office at the suggestion that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>willingly</span>
  </em>
  <span> dredge up her worst memories. She still wasn’t sure how watching her therapist’s hand move back and forth while thinking of her shitty childhood </span>
  <em>
    <span>helped</span>
  </em>
  <span> but she also wasn’t going to question the magic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It no longer felt crippling. She could manage her flashbacks - most of the time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really proud of you,” Ben says, in a voice so thick with emotion that Rey can’t help but believe him. “Everyone else is, too. You know that, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> know. Finn, Poe, and Rose make sure to tell her regularly. Still, she gives a watery sort of snort in response. “I think Poe’s mostly just keen on telling me </span>
  <em>
    <span>I told you so</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the rest of my life, now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, there is that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To say her friends had been truly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>truly</span>
  </em>
  <span> insufferable when they found out about her dating Ben is an understatement. Rose had actually groaned and slipped Poe a twenty dollar bill. Right in front of her. Rude. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn, though… He practically glowed with pride every time he saw her with Ben. Granted, Rey still couldn’t bring herself to tell him about her dumbass ‘please bite me and fuck me even though I’ve only known you a few weeks’ decision at Han and Leia’s anniversary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were some details even her best friend didn’t need to know. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think she’ll forgive me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben draws her closer, setting aside his book so he can wrap her up in both arms. Something very similar to a purr emanates from his chest and he sucks a hickey into her neck before just barely pricking his fangs into her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Common vampire behavior, that. Rey has learned a lot from google university in the last six months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if she doesn’t, I think you’ll feel better for apologizing anyway,” Ben says against her skin. “Whether she accepts it or not isn’t the point.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fair. Rey lets her head fall back and relaxes so he can arrange her to his liking. He shuffles her limbs around like a ragdoll until she’s straddling him on the couch with her hands clasped loosely behind her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thirsty?” she teases as he snuffles into her neck, breathing in her scent and gently worrying her skin between his teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He growls something that is undeniably an affirmative. He doesn’t bite her right away, though, despite the way she arches and presses into him. “How are you feeling?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a question he asks every time she finishes up a therapy session. Probably because the first few times she’d gone, she’d been a shaky, terrified mess afterwards. Things have gotten a lot better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” she answers, wiggling to settle herself tighter into his lap. He’s not hard, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>yet</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but she can feel him swelling in his sweatpants. “Well, maybe not </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Tired. But proud, I guess.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good girl,” Ben murmurs and she’s never quite sure if he’s praising her for answering his question honestly or just for her decisions in general. Both, maybe. “Can I bite you, sweetheart?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still asks. Rey still says yes. And it still feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he drinks from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fully descended fangs are sharp enough to slide cleanly through her skin and Rey can only shiver and cling to him as he drinks. Her hips move against his of their own volition and she moans, unembarrassed and unashamed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, the orgasm that shakes through her body is warm and soft. He cradles the back of her head, peppering kisses over her neck as he licks and sucks at the punctures he’s left behind, and she comes with a muffled cry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, Rey mumbles incoherently and whispers, “Ben. Ben. I love you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She feels him tremble beneath her and his hands tighten where he’s holding her. “I love you,” he breathes into her skin, kissing across the bridge of her nose, beneath her eyes, her cheeks, and just skirting the corners of her lips because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> she doesn’t like the taste of blood after he’s fed from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She loves him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey giggles breathlessly, and strokes her fingers through his hair. It’s soft, as always. Now that she’s seen his shower, she knows he uses far, far too many hair products. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bought you a plant,” she says out of nowhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s head moves, glancing over to the large palm abandoned in the entryway. “Are you sure you didn’t buy </span>
  <em>
    <span>yourself</span>
  </em>
  <span> a plant?” he asks, obviously amused and thinking of the dozen other potted succulents and clearance-rescues she’d brought to his apartment over the months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In her very humble opinion, his place is </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> more homey, now. Especially with the tattered, soft quilt she’d saved from a thrift store and draped over his couch and an errant sweater of hers tossed in a heap on the coffee table and a stack of her textbooks scattered haphazardly on his kitchen table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s in </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> apartment. That makes it </span>
  <em>
    <span>yours</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Even if Rey is the one who waters them all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben leans back against the couch and lets her snuggle up in his lap despite the very obvious erection he has going currently. Blissed out and pliant, she melts against him with her head on his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking,” he starts with uncharacteristic hesitation, his voice rumbling in her ear, “that maybe it could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>ours</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blames her post-orgasmic daze for the ungraceful way she grunts, “Huh?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You - you want to live together?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is generally what </span>
  <em>
    <span>ours</span>
  </em>
  <span> means, yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Are her ears ringing? It sounds like her ears are ringing. Rey braces herself and pushes upright so she can look at Ben’s face and decide if he’s fucking with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that he would do that. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You already practically live here,” Ben points out, which is fair, actually. She has a drawer in his dresser for her spare clothes and a toothbrush in his bathroom and she spends at least four nights a week sleeping in his bed instead of hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’s had a rough class and she’s exhausted and just wants to curl up and nap for a month, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> apartment she heads for now, not her own. Even when he’s not home. She just likes that his bed sheets smell like him and he’s got a comfy king size mattress and his place is larger and </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. Shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would save you money,” Ben points out helpfully and it takes Rey an embarrassing amount of time to realize he’s nervous. “And I could cook for you every night instead of you eating hot pockets whenever I leave you on your own --” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Hot pockets are good!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben gives her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rey,” he says, serious despite her feigned indignation. “I want to be with you every day. I want you to leave crumbs in the bed and throw your dirty laundry everywhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>except</span>
  </em>
  <span> the hamper and leave dishes in the sink.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, when you say it like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want every part of you,” he says, nuzzling his nose against her temple. “Even the messy parts. Even the parts that flinch from me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart feels like it’s trying to dance right out of her rib cage. Her lungs seize up and she’s suddenly sniffling back stupid, pointless tears. God, he’s so good to her and she’s working really hard to be good back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she says, her voice thick and watery. “Yeah, I want to live with you. I think Finn has wanted to move in with Rose for awhile anyway but he didn’t want to leave me without a roommate…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben breaks out into that wide, kinda goofy grin that Rey loves so much. It shows off his dimples and his slightly crooked teeth before he’s leaning forward to kiss her and his hands are cupping her face to thumb away her tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s going to live with a real, actual vampire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it’s going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>❤️❤️❤️</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can come <a href="https://twitter.com/0KnightFalling0">yell at me on twitter, too!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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